


Torn between two timelines

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Series: Two earths [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Canon Barry is a horible friend, F/M, Post-Crisis On Earth-X Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21771700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: Sequel to 'Crisis on two earths'. A month after the defeat of Thanos, Team Flash has an encounter with an enemy that sends Barry into an entirely different timeline. Stranded, Barry has to contend with a more selfish version of himself as he tries to find a way back while his loved ones attempt to find him.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Caitlin Snow, Barry Allen & Cisco Ramon, Barry Allen/Iris West, Barry Allen/Wanda Maximoff, Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow, Steve Rogers/Caitlin Snow
Series: Two earths [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1141394
Comments: 86
Kudos: 25





	1. Mxyzptlk

**Author's Note:**

> Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in.
> 
> In all seriousness, something along these lines is something I’ve been bouncing around for a while. I’ve always wondered how the Barry from my Two Earths series would react to canon Barry after the second half of season three. Just could never find a believable way for that to happen until now.
> 
> So, I hope you guys enjoy this and, if you think I should continue, tell me in the comments.

Central City, 2019  
Afternoon 

It’s typical, Barry thought as he sped back, narrowly avoiding a car being thrown at him. A month after he and Wanda had gone on vacation, to take a break from all this, they had decided to return home. They missed their strange family too much too stay away. And, of course, the day after they get back, some little creature called Mxyzptlk that looked like a little boy with grey hair showed up and started causing trouble. Only this little boy seemed to possess the power to change reality. Don’t even get Barry started on what he’d done to Central City Park.

So now, he, Wally, and Cisco were on the street, dodging as Mxyzptlk was somehow able to throw cars at them. They were trying to figure out their next move when, suddenly, Wanda jumped down, wearing her uniform, her hands glowing with energy. Wanda waved her hands and a metal fencing suddenly wrapped around Mxyzptlk, trapping him.

“This wasn’t how I wanted to spend our first day back in town,” Wanda told Barry as he, Wally, and Cisco walked up next to her. 

“Tell me about it. Cisco, breach him to Argus, I’ll tell Rick we’ve got another prisoner for him,” Barry said.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Mxyzptlk said in his unusually cheery voice.

Suddenly, he vanished, causing them to look around in shock.

“We’d he go?” Wally asked but no one had an answer.

“Right here,” Mxyzptlk said as he appeared over Barry’s shoulder. “It’s been fun gang, but I’ve got places to be. So, time to finish this in a flash.”

With a laugh, Mxyzptlk snapped his fingers and they were all blinded by a flash of light. When it faded, Mxyzptlk was gone. But he wasn’t the only one.

“Barry? Where’s Barry?” Wanda asked looking around for her husband frantically as Cisco and Wally looked stunned. “Where’s Barry?!”

Star Labs, 2018  
Morning 

The morning after Barry and Iris’ wedding, the whole team was meeting at Star Labs.

“Wish I could have been there for the wedding guys,” Ralph said as they told him about everything that had happened. “Seriously though, Nazis?”

“You get used to those kinds of things around here,” Cisco said with a shrug. 

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light that momentarily blinded them. When it faded, everyone stared in shock at a man in a Flash suit quite different than Barry’s stood in the room, his back to them. He looked around bewildered before turning around. As he saw them, he stared at them, in shock they presumed, as his eyes were hidden behind two white lenses. 

“Is this one of those things I’m gonna get used to?” Ralph asked as the Flash looked over at him. 

“Ralph Dibny,” he breathed. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“What?” Ralph yelped, looking shocked as Barry stepped forward.

“Okay, who are you?” Barry demanded, trying to determine I this other Flash was a threat.

“I’m the Flash,” Flash said before lowering his cowl to reveal Barry’s own face. “I’m you Barry.”

“So are you from another earth?” Barry asked cautiously.

“I’m from Earth-1,” Flash said.

“That’s impossible, this is Earth-1,” Harry said as Flash looked perplexed.

“Is no one else freaked out by this?!” Ralph exclaimed.

“You get used to it, like I said,” Cisco said, putting a hand on Ralph’s shoulder.

“You can’t both be from Earth-1,” Iris said and the other Barry looked shocked at her being there.

“Iris?” he breathed, confusing them. “You’re here.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Iris asked and the other Barry looked to be considering something as he looked from her to Barry to Ralph before he looked back at Barry.

“After Cisco found out about Dante, did you go for a run?” he asked, confusing them all.

“What?” Barry asked confused.

“When Caitlin revealed the truth about Dante and Cisco told you he wasn’t sure if we’d be okay, did you go for a run afterwards?” the other Barry asked. “Just humor me.”

“No,” Barry said and his doppelganger let out a shaky breath.

“Well I did. Because I am from this Earth…I’m just not from this timeline,” the other Barry said shakily.


	2. Allen's predicament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen attempts to find a way home as he is dealt a crushing blow. In his timeline, Cisco attempts to track him down and comes up with a plan to find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, was not expecting this kind of a response. Glad most of you seem to like this idea. Here’s the next chapter.
> 
> From this point on, Two Earths Barry will be referred to as Allen while canon Barry will be Barry.

Star Labs, 2017

Morning

“Alright, so explain this to me again,” Joe said as he messaged his temple.

The other Barry, who Cisco had decided they would call Allen, sighed before turning back to the blackboard and picked up a black marker.

“Okay, so pretend this line is the timeline,” Allen said as he drew a straight line in the middle of the board before drawing a do in the center of the line. “That dot right there is the night Killer Frost took over Caitlin for the first time and kidnapped Julian. Our timelines are nearly identical, probably a few differences here and there, until that night.”

“Why that night? What’s so special about it?” Caitlin asked, a little uncomfortable.

“Because I went for a run to clear my head. During that run, I accidently opened a breach and landed on another earth, a year into the past. I spent that year there but for you guys, it was only a week,” Allen explained as everyone stared at him in stunned disbelief. “During that year, I made some friends, a group of heroes called The Avengers. Some of them came back with me when I was able to get back home. This created an alternate timeline, separate for yours.”

“How did you get here than?” Harry, the only person who didn’t seem to have trouble believing Allen, asked.

“Well, Cisco, Wally and I were fighting some new bad guy that can change reality. He snapped his fingers and the next thing I knew, I was here,” Allen explained as he put the marker down. “So…anyone have an idea on how I can get home?”

Flash Cave, 2019

Afternoon

“And then Barry was just gone,” Wally explained to Joe and Clint.

The two looked stunned as Wanda paced back and forth, worry and fear clouding her features as Cisco was at the computer.

“I know we’re all worried, but it’s gonna be okay,” Cisco said and Wanda looked at him sharply.

“How is it gonna be okay Cisco? We have no idea where he is?!” Wanda exploded and Cisco raised an eyebrow.

“Not for much longer,” Cisco said, stunning them all. “This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, remember? When Barry went through that Breach and ended up on Earth-66, we had no idea where he was. But we found him, and we’re gonna find him the same way now.”

“His Speed Force Signature,” Wally remembered and Cisco nodded.

“I enhanced and improve the machine we used to find him last time and hooked it up with our new satellite. So now, with the click of a button, we only have to wait a few minutes and we should know where Barry is,” Cisco said before he pushed the enter key.

However, it beeped after a few minutes and Cisco stared at the screen, a look of shock on his face.

“Cisco, what is it?” Clint asked as he saw the look on his face.

“Match not found,” Cisco said lowly.

“What do you mean match not found?” Wanda asked beginning to panic.

“Barry’s Speed Force Signature can’t be located,” Cisco said, his mind whirling.

“What does that mean?” Joe demanded as he worried for his son.

“I don’t know,” Cisco said as he looked at Joe. “I really don’t know.”

Star Labs, 2017

Morning

“You can time travel right? So why don’t you just go back to the future?” Ralph asked, still trying to absorb all the information.

“It’s not that simple. This isn’t my timeline, this is yours. If I try and go to the future, I’ll end up in your future, not mine. This is something I’ve never dealt with before, I’m hoping you have,” Allen said as he looked around at them all.

“I’m sorry, no. We’ve never dealt with something like this either,” Barry said apologetically, hating he was unable to help this other version of him.

“What about The Legends, couldn’t they get me back home?” Allen asked desperately.

“They might, but they’re currently going through something,” Caitlin said gently as everyone exchanged uneasy glances that confused Allen.

“What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?” Allen demanded.

Central City Cemetery

Afternoon

Allen walked through the graveyard, passing grave after grave until he found what he was looking for. He stopped, staring down at the headstone in a mix of shock and grief.

_Martin Henry Stein_

_March 16, 1950-November 28, 2017_

_Beloved teacher, caring husband, and loving father_

“Hey Professor,” Allen said softly as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you in this timeline. I’m sorry that you suffered. I’m sorry that you didn’t get the life you wanted with your family. You were a good man Professor…you deserved better than this.”

“Yeah, he did,” Joe said as he walked up behind Allen, who didn’t so much as glance back at him. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“I knew you were there,” Allen said not moving his gaze from the grave.

“You okay?” Joe asked as he looked at Allen in concern.

“It’s the job Joe. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Doesn’t make it any easier to accept those we lost,” Allen said with a deep breath. “We don’t bother the Legends for now. I’ll find a different way home.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Joe asked and Allen smiled slightly.

“No idea,” Allen said as he looked at Joe. “But there has to be a way home. And I’m gonna find it.”

Unspecified location

Same time

“This is an interesting development, is it not?” Marlize Devoe asked as she glanced over at her husband.

“Indeed. This other Flash appearing was not anticipated,” Devoe mused.

“What shall we do?” Marlize inquired.

“For the moment, do as we have. We shall watch and observe. And then we shall plan accordingly,” Devoe ordered.

Flash Cave, 2019

Afternoon

“Okay, so let’s not panic,” Cisco said as he put ah and to his facing, thinking. “If we can’t find his Speed Force Signature, that just means Barry is somewhere that we can’t find it.”

“So how do we find him?” Wanda asked impatiently.

“I don’t think we should be trying,” Cisco said and she stared at him incredulously, as did Clint, Joe, and Wally. “Not like that. I just mean it’s like looking for a needle in a pile of needles; we’ll never him this way. I think a better option is finding Mxyzptlk.”

“And how do you plan on doing that? We’ve never been able to find him until he showed up,” Wally pointed out.

“Because we weren’t using our heads. He’s some kind of wizard, so maybe we need a wizard to find him. Or, in this case, a Sorcerer,” Cisco said and Wanda and Clint understood.

“Strange,” Clint said and Cisco nodded.

“So who’s up for a trip to Earth-66?” Cisco joked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there wasn’t a whole lot of interactions between Allen and Team Flash this chapter, there will be a lot more over the next few chapters.


	3. Return to The Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen settles into his new reality reluctantly as his family heads to Earth-66 for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2020 everybody! Here’s the next chapter.

Star Labs, 2017  
Late afternoon

Barry, Cisco, Iris, and Caitlin were talking quietly when Allen and Joe returned. They stopped as they saw the pair, studying Allen. While they expected to see him devastated, they were unnerved, Barry especially, by the emotionless look on his face. It was a look that would belong on the face of Oliver Queen, but none of them could reconcile it being on the face of Barry Allen.

“You okay?” Caitlin asked gently and Allen smiled weakly.

“No, but I will be,” Allen said with a sigh. “Contacting the Legends is off the table for now, but I still have a wife and daughter to get back to.”

“We have a daughter?” Iris asked happily and Barry looked shocked as Allen looked uncomfortable.

“Yeah,” Allen said lowly.

He’d like to correct her, to tell her about Wanda. But, given she and Barry had just gotten married, Allen didn’t think she’d take it any better than his Iris had when he told her it was over between them. And he just wasn’t in the mood for that kind of crap right now.

“It’s clearly been a long day for you, why don’t we all head home and get some rest,” Barry offered. “That way, we can approach this with fresh minds in the morning. You can stay with us.”

“I’m not sure that’s a very good idea,” Allen said immediately, fighting the temptation to look over at Iris. “You two just got married; you probably want some time to yourselves.”

“You can stay with me and Cecile for now,” Joe offered immediately, seeing how uncomfortable Allen was.

“Thanks Joe,” Allen said relieved. “I’d like that.”

“Well, now that that’s settled, I suggest we all head home. I am personally beat,” Cisco said and Allen smiled slightly.

It seemed, no matter what timeline, Cisco Ramon would never change.

West House  
Night

Joe opened the door to his house and led Allen inside. Allen looked around, noting it really hadn’t changed much. A few pictures here and there that hadn’t been there, but otherwise, it was the same house he’d grown up in. 

“Is it different in your timeline?” Joe asked as he noticed Allen looking around.

“No, it’s pretty much the same,” Allen said as Cecile came into the living room.

“So, this is our guest from another timeline?” Cecile asked as she eyed Allen and Joe nodded. “So what do I call you?”

“Allen’s fine. It’s good to see you Cecile,” Allen said with a warm smile.

“Well, are you hungry? I just made dinner,” Cecile said.

“Thank you, but I think I’m just gonna lay down. It’s…been a long day,” Allen said tiredly.

“Of course,” Cecile said in understanding.

“Your room is, well, exactly as you left it,” Joe said and Allen smiled weakly.

Allen made his way up the stairs and walked into the bed room he had had for most of his life. It was as Joe said; it looked exactly as it had when he had moved out for the last time. Allen sat down on the bed and sighed. Pulling out his wallet, he pulled out a photo. 

It was of Wanda holding Freya, taken a few months before, a few weeks before Thanos. Allen stared at his family with longing, hoping they were alright.

Earth-66, The Playground, 2019  
Mid afternoon

Caitlin was knocked on her back, again, in the training room. Groaning, she glared up at the smirking Natasha.

“Why is this even necessary? I have superpowers, remember?” Caitlin grumbled as she pulled herself to her feet.

“Killer Frost has superpowers, Caitlin Snow doesn’t. At times, you’ll need to rely on your skills rather than her powers. Besides, Steve might get mad if something happened to his girl,” Natasha said with a smirk and Caitlin flushed.

Before the conversation could continue, a breach suddenly appeared a few feet from them. The pair jumped, Natasha grabbing a pistol and Caitlin’s hair turned white as they prepared for a fight. However, they relaxed as Cisco, Wanda, and Clint emerged from the breach. 

“A welcoming committee. I can feel the love,” Clint said dryly as Natasha lowered her gun at seeing her oldest friend.

“Well, when you pop out of a breach, you’re not gonna be met with hugs and kisses,” Frost said sarcastically and Clint shrugged.

“Fair enough,” Clint allowed before turning to Natasha. “Good to see you Nat.”

“You to Hawkeye. But what are you doing here, not that it’s not good to see?” Natasha said and the trio exchanged unsettling glances.

“Something’s happened, hasn’t it?” Caitlin said as she retook control from Frost.

“Yeah Cait, something’s happened. Is anyone else here? I’d like to only tell this story once,” Cisco said.

In the living room, Sam and Bucky were playing a video came as Steve watched, amused by the banter between the two. Then Natasha and Caitlin returned the room and Steve got to his feet in shock at seeing Clint, Cisco, and Wanda. Sam and Bucky stopped their game at seeing their friends as well.

“We have a problem,” Natasha said. “Barry needs our help.”

West house, 2017  
Morning

The next morning, Joe and Cecile were met with an intoxicating aroma as they made their way down the stairs. Exchanging a confused glance, they made their way to the kitchen to see Allen setting various platers of food on the table.

“What’s all this? Cecile asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

“Well, I wanted to thank you for letting me crash here last night, so I made you breakfast. We’ve got pancakes, waffles, French toast, and bacon,” Allen said as he gestured to all the food on the tables.

“Gee Bar, you didn’t have to do this,” Joe said as he and Cecile sat down.

“I wanted to. Besides, I remember how my wife was when she was pregnant,” Allen said with a pointed look at Cecile.

“Your wife, it’s not Iris, is it?” Joe asked suddenly and Allen froze. “You never refer to her by name and you get uncomfortable whenever someone brings her up. You’re different than my Barry, but I still raised you. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

“No, it’s not iris,” Allen finally admitted. “My wife was a member of The Avengers. When I was trapped on her earth, we grew close. I never thought I’d see Iris again, so I moved on…with her. When Cisco finally found me, she was part of the group that came with me. And, when the rest of them returned home, she stayed with me on Earth-1.”

“What’s her name?” Joe asked after a moment.

“Wanda, her name is Wanda,” Allen said with so much reverence that Joe didn’t doubt how Allen felt about her. “Listen, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Iris about this.”

“Why not?” Cecile asked as both she and Joe looked confused.

“Because all my focus needs to be on finding a way back to my own timeline. When my Iris found about me and Wanda, she didn’t take it well. Since she and Barry are married, I’m not sure how Iris will react. Either way, I don’t have time for it. So please, don’t say anything,” Allen pleaded as he looked back and forth between them. 

“Sure Bar. But, eventually, she’s going to find out,” Joe warned him and Allen sighed.

“I know…but the more time I have to focus on getting home, the better,” Allen said with conviction.

The Playground, 2019  
Afternoon

“So this Mxyzptlk snapped his fingers and Barry was gone?” Steve asked and Cisco nodded.

“He just vanished,” Wanda said and they could see how worried she was.

“It’s gonna be okay kid, we’re gonna get him back,” Clint assured her.

“I don’t wanna say this, but are we sure Barry’s still alive?” Sam asked hesitantly, throwing his hands up when everyone glared at him. “I don’t want him to be, but come on, you said it yourself that Barry’s Speed Force Signature isn’t anywhere in the multiverse.”

“He’s not dead. I’d know if he was,” Wanda said in a tone that left no room for argument.

“Besides, it didn’t seem like Mxyzptlk wanted to kill Barry. It was like he was…toying with us,” Cisco said with a thoughtful look on his face.

“What can we do to help,” Bucky offered.

“We didn’t actually come here for your help. We came here for Strange,” Cisco said.

“Cisco figured since Mxyzptlk seems to possess some kind of magic, that Strange might be able to help us,” Clint said.

At that moment, there was a hissing sound as an orange portal opened up a few feet away. Everyone whirled towards it as Strange stepped out.

“Avengers, we have something we need to discuss,” Strange said his face set in a grim frown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bit more planned for this chapter, but that felt like a great stopping point.
> 
> Still not much interaction between Allen and the rest of Team Flash, but that will change next chapter.
> 
> Originally, I had Caitlin be the one to find out about Wanda, but it just felt right having it be Joe.


	4. Boiling point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions between Allen, Iris, and Barry reach a boiling point as Strange informs Team Flash and The Avengers about Mxyzptlk.

The Playground, Earth-66, 2019  
Afternoon

“Just the guy we were looking for,” Clint said calmly as he regarded Strange. “Who died?”

“No one, yet. But we need to move quickly,” Strange said as he walked forward.

“What are you talking about?” Steve demanded.

“Mxyzptlk,” Strange said and everyone stared at him stunned. “He took Barry Allen, put him somewhere you can’t find him.”

“How do you know that?” Cisco asked stunned.

“I keep a watch list of beings from other realms that may be a threat. Beings like Mxyzptlk,” Strange explained.

“You know about him?” Wanda asked and Strange nodded.

“I’ve kept a close eye on him. He’s always caused mischief and chaos wherever he went but placing someone in a location that’s impossible to determine, that’s a new one,” Strange noted.

“Maybe he’s trying something new,” Sam said but Strange shook his head. 

“That imp is thousands of years old. Trying something new is beyond him,” Strange said.

“You think someone else is pulling the strings,” Natasha realized and Strange nodded. “Who?”

“I don’t know. But to get Mxyzptlk to obey them, they must be very powerful,” Strange said as the others exchanged unsettled looks. 

“Will you work with us to find him?” Steve asked and Strange nodded.

“I feel that it’s imperative we do,” Strange said grimly.

Star Labs, Earth-1, 2017  
Morning

Allen made his way into the cortex and found Cisco and Caitlin were there, talking. They stopped as they saw him.

“The lack of Iris around leads me to believe you’re Allen,” Cisco said and Allen chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re right, as usual,” Allen said as he made his way into the cortex. 

“So I’m as smart in your timeline as this one?” Cisco asked.

“It’s a different timeline Cisco, not a different reality,” Caitlin said and Allen chuckled.

“Yeah, you are,” he said in response to Cisco’s question as he looked around the room wistfully. “Man, been a while since I’ve been here.”

“What do you mean? Don’t we still work here?” Cisco asked confused as he and Caitlin looked at him.

“You do,” Allen said after a moment of deciding how much he should reveal. “A few months before my daughter was born, I signed over Star Labs to you. You’ve been building it back up since then, so we stopped using it as our headquarters.”

“You’re saying I’m CEO of Star Labs?” Cisco asked in stunned shock and Allen nodded with a smile. 

“Yeah. You’ve only been it for about a year but Star Labs is already starting to rival Mercury Labs again,” Allen said and Cisco looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Oh yeah! Come on; give your boy a five!” Allen and Caitlin both laughed as Caitlin gave him a high five. This was the scene that Ralph walked into.

“So what’s going on here?” Ralph asked as he made his way over to them.

“I’m a billionaire in the other timeline!” Cisco exclaimed excitedly and Ralph simply stared.

“Oh,” he said lamely. “That’s cool.”

As Cisco yelled at Ralph about how cool it was, Caitlin watched as Allen regarded Ralph. It was unnerving how different Allen was from Barry, yet so familiar. In a lot of ways, he was like Barry had been once upon a time: caring, selfless, and clearly loyal to the people he cared about, as he just demonstrated by telling them a bit about his timeline. But she could also see the differences, the way he was harder than Barry, how he held himself like a cop rather than an assistant. In a lot of was, he reminded her of Oliver Queen more than Barry Allen.

“Ralph Dibny,” Allen said, breaking Caitlin out of her thoughts as Ralph turned to Allen, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Last time I saw you, you were fired from the CCPD for planting evidence.”

“Look, what I did-” Ralph started.

“I don’t care,” Allen said, stunning Ralph. “You did what you did and I’m not here to listen to you justify yourself for the dozenth time. And I’m guessing you’re alive because of Flashpoint. What I’d like to know is what you’re doing here?”

“That’s a long story,” Caitlin said awkwardly, realizing Allen trusted Ralph about as much as Barry had at first.

“The Thinker made us get you out of the Speed Force and it gave Ralph and a whole bunch of other people powers,” Cisco said in a rush.

“Huh. Guess it’s not that long,” Caitlin mused.

“Who’s The Thinker?” Allen asked confused.

“Clifford Devoe? Haven’t you heard of him?” Cisco asked as he and Caitlin exchanged a glance. 

“He was a professor at Central City University. He died a few years ago from a strange illness. I remember reading about it in the paper, it stuck with me because I know Iris took his class for a bit,” Allen said.

“Huh, must be one of those differences in the timelines you were talking about yesterday,” Ralph mused.

“Well here, he’s the latest supervillain we’re dealing with,” Cisco explained and Allen blinked. “He’s got the biggest brain in the world and he’s painted you, well, Barry, as an obsessive stalker.”

“Sounds rough. But I need to get home, so do you think you can help me?” Allen asked as Barry and Iris walked in.

“And we’ll find a way to get you back, I promise,” Barry said kindly.

Allen simply nodded as his thoughts went to Wanda. He hoped she was alright, knowing that this would hit her hard.

The Playground, 2019  
Afternoon

“So how do we find this guy?” Sam asked as they all looked to Strange. 

“The most likely scenario is that Mxyzptlk returned to the ninth dimension once he had completed his task. Whether he took Barry there or not, I don’t know,” Strange said.

“So let’s just go there and find this guy, make him tell us where Barry is,” Cisco said eager to find his best friend.

“It’s not that simple. You’ve fought Mxyzptlk; you know how powerful he is. He’s even more powerful in his own dimension,” Strange warned and Cisco stared wide eyed. “The best course of action is for a team to go with us and face Mxyzptlk.”

“Okay…so, who wants to go to the crazy dimension to face the most powerful wizard ever?” Cisco asked.

Star Labs, 2019  
Mid-morning

Allen liked to think of himself as an understanding person with a fair amount of patience. But he was ready to snap at any moment.

For the last hour, they had been trying to brainstorm and put together an idea that could help him get home. But as they tried to come up with some ideas, Iris kept talking over everyone. Judging by the looks on Cisco and Caitlin’s faces, this was not an unusual occurrence. After the twelfth time it happened, Allen had had enough.

“Would you shut up?!” he exclaimed in frustration, making everyone stop and stare at him in shock.

“Excuse me?” Iris asked in shock, like she couldn’t believe what he had said to her.

“Yeah heard me. You keep talking over everyone, we’re trying to find a way to get me home and you keep interrupting,” Allen said angrily.

“I’m trying to help,” Iris argued.

“Who are you helping?! It’s certainly not me! And you, why are you letting her talk over everyone?” Allen demanded as he whirled n Barry.

“She and I are a team, I support her decisions,” Barry said defensively and Allen stared at him like he’d just said something stupid.

“Really? Because from what I’ve seen today, she does whatever she wants and you just stand back and let her,” Allen said angrily.

“He’s not wrong,” Ralph muttered before letting out an ‘oof’ as Caitlin elbowed him.

“Stay out of this,” Caitlin hissed at him.

“I think she’s about ready to blow,” Cisco said as he saw Iris looking angrier and angrier.

“I am leader of Team Flash, so I ca have as much input into this discussion as I want,” Iris said angrily.

“And when your help becomes relevant to me getting home, you can have a say. Until that point, stay out of this,” Allen snapped, making Iris reel back in shock. “You may be team leader here, but you don’t have a damn clue about how to get me home. I asked for Cisco’s help, not yours. So butt the hell out!”

For a moment, the room was silent except for Allen’s heavy breathing. Then, Caitlin spoke up.

“Why don’t we take a breath? Calm down and then we can come back in about ten minutes and try and tackle this with clearer heads?” Caitlin suggested.

Without a word, Allen turned and stalked out of the room. After a moment, Caitlin followed after him. With a scowl, Iris turned and stalked out of the cortex in the opposite direction with Barry following after her like a lost puppy, leaving only Cisco and Ralph in the room.

“Are team meetings usually like this?” Ralph asked as Cisco sighed.

“No, they’re usually not that intense,” Cisco muttered.

The Playground  
Afternoon

As Strange stood at the ready, everyone was saying goodbye as the team prepared to leave.

“Come back safe kid, and bring that husband of yours back to,” Clint said as he and Wanda hugged.

“If I don’t make it back-” Wanda started.

“You will,” Clint said roughly as he pulled back to look at her before his eyes softened. “But, in the one in a million scenario you don’t, Laura and I will take care of Freya. But that’s not gonna happen, okay?”

“Thank you,” Wanda said with a smile.

“Nat, until I get back, you’re in charge,” Steve told Natasha as he said goodbye to her, Bucky, and Sam.

“Gee, sure you trust me to run things while you go on a trip with your girlfriend?” Natasha said dryly with a pointed look at Caitlin from where she waited with Cisco and Strange.

“You’re not just going because Caitlin’s going, right?” Sam asked and Steve shook his head.

“Barry’s our friend and when we needed help with Thanos, he didn’t hesitate to give it. I owe him this, I owe him at least this,” Steve said firmly and Sam nodded.

“Bring him back Cap,” Sam said and Steve nodded.

“I will,” Steve said before he turned to Bucky. “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.”

“How can I, you’re taking all the stupid with you?” Bucky quipped and the pair chuckled. “Don’t get yourself killed over there.” 

“I won’t Buck,” Steve promised.

“Hey, let’s get a move on! Barry needs us!” Cisco said impatiently as Steve and Wanda joined them.

“Then let’s go get him,” Wanda said as a steely determination filled her eyes. 

Caitlin closes her eyes and her hair turned white blond as her skin turned pale. And when she opened them, they were now an icy blue. Strange turned his back to them before he waved his hand and an orange portal opened up in front of them. Together, he, Cisco, Frost, Wanda and Steve entered it before it closed behind them.

Star Labs, 2017  
Mid-Morning

Allen was on the balcony at Star Labs, looking out over the city as Caitlin walked up behind him.

“Hey, you okay?” Caitlin asked gently as he let out a breath.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you, good idea to make us take a break. Things would not have ended well if you hadn’t intervened,” Allen sighed. 

“You’re so similar to him…but so different at the same time. He would never have called Iris out the way you did,” Caitlin noted and Allen winced.

“I’m sorry about that. I lost my temper and let my frustration get the better of me,” he apologized.

“Don’t, you just said what Cisco and I have been wanting to say for months. I was just surprised,” Caitlin said and Allen sighed.

“You’re right, I am different. Losing your entire world, at least thinking you lost it, has an effect on you. And even after, the things I’ve seen, the people I’ve lost,” Allen trailed off as he thought of Pepper, HR, Pietro, Vision, even Nebula and Freya. “It changes you.”

“Where you’re from…Iris isn’t your wife, is she?” Caitlin asked and Allen looked at her startled. 

“How’d you know?” he asked after a beat.

“It was a lot of little things. How you never called her by name, how you became uncomfortable whenever Iris called your daughter ‘our daughter’. But what just happened pretty much confirmed it. You called her out in a way you could only do if you weren’t in love with her. But maybe that’s because I know you so well. Even if you’re not the Barry I know, you’re still so much like him. Just…harder, I guess is the right word,” Caitlin said and Allen nodded.

“Heart and head,” Allen said and Caitlin was confused. “Just something my Caitlin said to me once.”

“How’d you meet? If you don’t mind me asking,” Caitlin said.

“It’s fine. Her name is Wanda; she was a member of the Avengers when I first showed up on Earth-66. As I was dealing with the fact that I was trapped there, she was dealing with her brother being in a coma. Maybe it was because he was a speedster to, but I felt like I needed to look out for her,” Allen explained, lost in the memories as Caitlin listened, not interrupting. “As we spent time together, we bonded over losing our homes, our families. She was new to the Avengers to; all the other members had these strong bonds. We felt like outsiders, so we just sort of gravitated towards each other. To be honest, I didn’t even realize that I had feelings for her until I was on a mission that went south. I was undercover and I was found out. I was captured and I was tortured.”

“God Barry, I’m so sorry,” Caitlin said and Allen smiled weakly.

“It’s okay. It caused me to have to confront my guilt over Flashpoint and over letting my mom die,” Allen paused her and Caitlin was silent, waiting for him to continue. “When I confronted that, I realized I was holding onto the hope that I could find my way back to you guys. In order for my own sanity, I had to let it go, to let you guys go. Once I did, it wasn’t hard for me to realize how I lost my breath when she walked into a room, how my heart would race, even by my standards, when I was around her, how her smile lit up my whole day. So I asked her to dinner and the rest is history,” Allen finished and it was silent for a minute.

“It sounds romantic,” Caitlin said and Allen smiled.

“We’ve had more than a few obstacles thrown our way but it’s made us stronger,” Allen said before turning to Caitlin. “Since I told you all that, can I ask you something?” 

“Sure,” Caitlin said, raising an eyebrow.

“What happened between Barry and you and Cisco?” Allen asked and Caitlin was taken back in surprise. “It’s just something I’ve noticed ever since I got here, there’s this…wall between you two and him that there isn’t between me and my Caitlin and Cisco. What happened?”

“He...you, you changed,” Caitlin said after a moment, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “After Flashpoint and you and Iris got together, we noticed you started pulling away from us. It wasn’t anything big at first, but you started spending more time with Iris than with us. At first, we put it down to you just being caught up in the honeymoon phase of your relationship. But, then you saw a vision of Savitar killing Iris five months into the future. That didn’t happen with you, did it?”

“Cisco got a Vibe of Savitar killing Wanda while she was pregnant with our daughter but he mostly kept it to himself,” Allen said, looking solemn by what Caitlin was telling him.

“You were just…completely consumed with saving Iris. Which we understood but it consumed your every thought. You just…you didn’t seem to care about anything else. Or anyone else. You didn’t seem to care that I was slowly losing control to Killer Frost or HR getting killed by Savitar. And even after Savitar was dealt with, it just…it’s like we don’t exist to you sometimes,”

Caitlin wiped the tears that had slowly started to fall as she talked. Allen was completely silent as he processed what she was saying. Then, he walked forward and, to her shock, pulled her into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m sorry that, in this timeline, I’ve been such a horrible friend. One benefit of being trapped on another earth for a year is that I got to appreciate the two most important people in my life. I’m sorry that this version of me doesn’t realize what he has in you and Cisco.” 

For a moment, it was silent between them as Caitlin accepted his embrace, allowing herself to feel, even for a moment, that this was Barry, her friend. Then, the moment passed and they pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” Caitlin said as she wiped her tears ago. 

“I think I’m the one who owes you the apology,” Allen said, looking like he’d taken a sucker punch to the gut. “The way you describe him…it almost reminds me of Thawne.”

“He’s a horrible friend these days, but Barry is no Thawne. Trust me, I got a good reminder of that a few days ago,” Caitlin said and Allen looked at her sharply. 

“What does that mean? Is Thawne still around?” he asked and she nodded. “Where is he now?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Caitlin said and Allen narrowed his eyes.

“You still bite your lower lip wen something’s bothering you,” Allen said and she stopped. “Tell me what you don’t want to tell me about Thawne or I’ll ask Cisco.”

“Okay…but you’re not like it,” Caitlin said with a sigh before she told him.

“Where are they?” Barry asked as he, Iris, Cisco and Ralph stood in the cortex, waiting for Allen and Caitlin to return.

“Honestly, at this point, I don’t care. He’s a jerk,” Iris muttered, angry about the things Allen had said about her.

Suddenly a blur sped into the room and tackled Barry. As winds whirled around the others, Barry was shocked to see it was Allen, a look of rage in his eyes. 

“What are you doing?!” Barry exclaimed in shock as he was slammed against the wall, to everyone’s shock.

“You let Thawne go?!” Allen exploded and understanding dawned on Iris and Cisco as Caitlin walked in, looking shocked and guilty. “After everything he’s done, you just let him go!?”

“I’m not a killer okay!?” Barry snapped as he pushed Allen back.

“Atom Smasher. Sand Demon. Zoom,” Allen sneered and Barry winced. “That’s crap and you know it. And even if it wasn’t, you have the Pipeline which you never got rid of unlike me. You have Argus. Instead, you just let him go to go around causing more pain and more suffering to everyone we love! What if he goes after Iris? Or Joe? Or anyone in this room?!”

“What do you want me to say?!” Barry snapped.

“I want an explanation about why you put the people you claim to care about in danger just to feel good about yourself!” Allen snapped as he got in Barry’s face. “Well, I’m waiting!”

“Back off!” Barry snapped as he pushed Barry back. “You have no idea what I’ve been through; you do not get to judge me!”

“I have every right to judge you! In case you forgot, I am you! Same earth, same timeline up until a few years ago!” Allen snarled as he got in Barry’s face. “I’ve been here two days and already, I see you from what you are.”

“And what is that?” Barry asked angrily.

“A coward. Someone who turns his back on his friends. Someone who thinks feeling like the hero is more important than protecting the people you claim to love. If being trapped on another earth for a year stopped me from turning into you, it was worth every bit of pain and suffering that came with it. I would rather live through it all again a hundred times over if it meant never becoming you,” Allen said before he stepped back, turning to Cisco, Ralph, and Caitlin. “I’m sorry. I appreciate that you guys were trying to help me. But I can’t work with these two. I’ll have to find another way home. Thank you for your help, and thank Joe and Cecile for me.”

Before heading out, Allen turned to Barry with a cold look on his face.

“Mom and dad would be ashamed of what you’ve become,” Allen said cruelly. 

Barry looked like he’d been shot as Allen sped out, leaving the five of them alone in the cortex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter is going to be a little different. Next chapter is going to focus solely on what is happening with the canon timeline while the chapter after will focus completely on the Two Earths timeline. After that, things will probably go back to normal.
> 
> Barry in the first two seasons of Flash was and still is my favorite Arrowverse character after Oliver, but following that, especially in the second half of season three, he just became a selfish jerk. He does nothing to help Caitlin when she’s going out of her mind with fear of turning into Killer Frost, she actually starts to lose it front of him and his only concern was Iris. His only emotion at HR’s death was happiness that Iris would survive. Finally, Cisco. While he clearly felt guilty about Dante’s death, it always felt like it was more ‘I killed my best friend’s brother, poor me’ than it was about how his actions affected Cisco. Following season two, Barry had little care for anyone whose last name did not include West or Allen. And it just got worse and worse as seasons progressed. 
> 
> Barry letting Thawne go in Crisis on Earth- was so stupid, I remember almost throwing my drink at my TV the first time I saw it. Even if Barry wants to pretend his hands are clean of blood, heh as this nice pipeline prison designed to hold a Speedster. Or he’s on a first name basis with the director of an organization who deals with people like Thawne all the time. There are multiple things he could have done without killing Thawne.


	5. Mutiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen is offered a way home but must choose when Caitlin and Barry are both kidnapped. The rest of Team Flash mutinies against Iris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not my best chapter, it feels a little rushed in certain areas to me, but I found it a little difficult to incorporate the events of 4x09 into the chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it anyway.

Star City  
Afternoon

A few weeks after leaving Star Labs, Allen sat in Oliver and Felicity’s apartment, looking around all the decorations. After leaving, he’d gone to the only person he knew he could trust: Oliver Queen. 

After all, if he couldn’t find a scientific solution to his problem, maybe he could find a magical one. After Allen had explained the situation, Oliver had placed a call to John Constantine and agreed to let Allen stay with him, Felicity, and William while they waited. That was two weeks ago, it was almost Christmas and Allen was beginning to grow impatient.

He was brought out of his thoughts as he noticed William approach him, looking nervous as he had a folded up paper in his hand.

“You okay buddy?” Barry asked as he noticed the look on William’s face.

“Where you’re from, my mom…she’s still alive, right?” William asked and Allen nodded with a grimace. 

Finding out that Samantha had died because he hadn’t been here to help Oliver with Chase had been another blow to him. Another boy losing his mother, another failure of this timeline’s Barry because he was too busy caring about Iris more than anyone else. 

“Could you give this to her?” William asked as he held out the paper to Allen.

“You know she’s not gonna be able to respond,” Allen pointed out gently.

“I know but…I just need to know that she got it,” William said looking down.

That was something that Allen could understand. Having lost his mother at around William’s age, if there was a way for him to send his mom a letter, to let her know everything he’d never said before, he would do it.

“Sure, I’ll make sure she gets it,” Allen promised as he held out his hand. 

William smiled as he handed Allen the paper. Allen had barely put it in his jacket pocket when Oliver entered the room.

“Barry,” Oliver said and Allen looked up. “Constantine got back to me. He thinks he can get you home.”

Star Labs  
Night

In Central City, things were not looking so great. Barry had been captured by Devoe while he and Iris had been walking down the street. At the same time, Caitlin and Harry had been attacked by Amunet Black while at Jitters and Caitlin had been abducted. To make matters worse, Cisco attempting to Vibe Barry had only succeeded in flinging him into the Christmas tree in the cortex. He wasn’t seriously hurt but he didn’t think he could Vibe for a bit. 

“I’m telling you, we can’t search for Barry and Caitlin at the same time,” Cisco was telling Iris as he held an icepack to his head. “The satellite won’t be able to handle it, the bandwith limiters will overheat. Not to mention there’s more than one Barry Allen on this earth now.”

“We can’t just do nothing!” Iris snapped.

“We won’t, but we have to be smart about this,” Joe said trying to calm her.

“Find them both Cisco, that’s an order!” Iris snapped before storming off.

“She’s gonna get them both killed,” Ralph said bluntly and Joe shot him a glare. “I’m just saying!”

“He’s right Joe, she won’t choose and we can’t find them both,” Cisco argued logically. 

“There’s only one call we can make,” Harry said and the three looked at him. “We need to call someone a little more experienced than us at this. We need to call Allen.”

“Iris won’t like that,” Joe hedged.

“What’s more important Joe, saving Barry and Caitlin or Iris’ feelings?” Cisco asked and Joe sighed, giving in.

“Okay, but do we even know where he is?” Joe asked.

“He’s in Star City,” Harry said and three pairs of eyes turned to look at him. “He’s different than our Barry, but he’s still Barry Allen. He won’t leave this earth because he’s not sure what will happen if he leaves while trapped in this timeline. Besides the people in this room, who else does he trust absolutely?”

“Oliver Queen,” Cisco realized.

Arrow lair  
Same time

“Okay, so explain this to me again,” Allen said as he, Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle stood in the lair, facing Constantine. “You’re saying this isn’t the first time this has happened?”

“Not these exact circumstances, but time travel isn’t an unknown phenomena,” Constantine confirmed. “Sorcerers have used magic to go back in time before; some of them have ended up trapped there. So spells were created to move forward in time.”

“And you think you can get Barry home?” Diggle asked.

“I’m quite sure I can, yes,” Constantine said.

“And have you ever done this before?” Felicity asked skeptically.

“Not exactly,” Constantine shrugged and Allen looked at the trio skeptically. “Not to worry, if I can put Sara’s soul back in her body, I’m sure I can get you back to your time.”

“Barry, are you sure about this?” Diggle asked skeptically. 

“No, but I really don’t have many other options,” Allen said with a sigh before turning back to Constantine. “What do you need me to do?”

“I need a stand of your hair,” Constantine and four pairs of eyes looked at him skeptically.

“You need what?” Oliver asked in disbelief.

“Think of it as a magical GPS if you will mate. The strand of hair will allow me to find Barry’s timeline so I know where to send him,” Constantine explained.

Allen sighed but lifted his hand, about to pull out a strand of hair when, suddenly, a Breach opened up. Diggle and Felicity jumped back as Oliver, Constantine, and Allen turned towards the breach.

“Thank God I found you,” Cisco said in relief as he stepped out and saw Allen. “We need your help.” 

“Cisco-” Allen started.

“I know you have no reason to want to help Barry, but he’s been kidnapped, Caitlin to,” Cisco said in a rush and Allen stopped as everyone froze. “Iris is being completely irrational and we don’t know what to do. I know you’re mad at Barry and Iris, but please, we need you to help find them.”

Allen was tempted to say no, thinking of Wanda and Freya and how much he wanted to get home to them. But then a voice whispered in the back of his mind, a voice he trusted almost more than anyone else.

‘Heart and head’ Caitlin’s voice said and Allen sighed.

“Sorry guys,” he said as he looked back at Oliver, Felicity, Diggle and Constantine apologetically. “We’ll have to do this another time. My friends need me.”

Star Labs  
Not long after

“I thought I told you guys to find both of them,” Iris snapped as she faced Joe, Ralph and Harry.

Joe looked uncomfortable but Ralph looked defiant and Harry annoyed.

“We discussed it. We decided we’d like to save Barry and Snow more,” Harry said sarcastically.

“It was the right call,” Allen said as he entered the cortex with Cisco, causing Iris to turn to him in shock.

“Barry?” she breathed.

“Not exactly,” Allen said and it clicked.

“You went to him,” Iris said as she glared at everyone, feeling betrayed.

“Which says a lot about their faith in your leadership, but now’s not the time,” Allen said as he looked at Cisco. “Find Cait.”

“You really hate my husband so much you’d leave him to die?” Iris asked angrily.

“Barry is safe. If Devoe wanted him dead, he would have killed him when you two were on the street. Think Iris, the fact that he took Barry means he needs Barry for something,” Allen said and the knot in Iris’ stomach loosened slightly. “Caitlin is the one in the most danger, Amunet Black, from what Cisco told me, is pretty unpredictable. If Caitlin pisses her off, she might kill Cait. So we find Caitlin.”

“Since when are you part of ‘we’?” Iris asked angrily.

“Since you almost got them both killed with your poor leadership skills,” Allen snapped and she reeled back. “No matter what timeline, no matter what earth, Caitlin Snow will always be my best friend. And while I may not be Barry’s biggest fan, I don’t want him dead. Which he will be if we don’t get him back from Devoe before Devoe gets what he wants.”

“So what do we do?” Ralph asked and Iris noticed everyone was looking at Allen.

“Like I said, we find Caitlin first. Then we focus on finding Barry,” Allen said, hoping they weren’t too late.

Central City  
Not long after

In an abandoned building, Caitlin was running through the halls with Dominic, a Meta captured by Amunet. Dominic, a mind reader, had been able to help them avoid detection by telling Caitlin which way to go and when to stop, narrowly avoiding Amunet’s men. However, as they ran, suddenly, scraps of metal flew out, forming a wall that blocked their way. Paling, the two looked behind them to see Amunet approaching, two men following behind her.

“Someone’s made my naughty list,” Amunet said darkly.

Star Labs  
Same time

“Okay, we got her Cryogenic signature,” Cisco said as he looked at the computer. “She’s in Saint Alexander’s hospital.”

“That’s been closed for years,” Joe noted.

“Which is what makes it the perfect place to hold Caitlin,” Allen said before looking at Cisco. “You Cisco ready?”

“I was born ready for this,” Cisco said and Allen nodded.

“Then let’s go get her,” Allen said before he pushed his hand forward and activated his ring, the suit flying out of it.

Saint Alexander’s Hospital  
Same time

Suddenly, a breached opened up behind Caitlin and Dominic. Allen, at super speed, sped out, gabbed Caitlin and Dominic, and yanked them back, the breach closing momentarily after as Amunet stared, in disbelief at what had just happened. 

Elsewhere  
Later 

Devoe came down into his lair and was shocked to see Barry was no longer where he had left him. 

“Impossible,” Devoe muttered as he lowered the force field.

“Well that’s the thing,” Barry’s voice said before he reappeared, speeding out before Devoe could reactivate the force field. “I am the impossible.”

“We built that cell so you couldn’t run your way out,” Devoe said as he turned his chair to face him.

“Well that’s the thing, I didn’t run. I just stood still. Really fast,” Barry said cheekily.

“You vibrated your body faster than the eye can process,” Devoe realized.

“Like your wife said, your brain may be faster than mine, but your body is still human,” Barry said smugly. “It’s over Devoe.”

“Far from it, Mr. Allen,” Devoe said as he moved to press a button on his chair.

Barry quickly sped over and restrained his hand but Devoe pressed a button with his free hand. There was a bright flash of light and, when it faded, both Devoe and Barry were gone.

Central City  
Moments later

Barry and Devoe then appeared, to Barry’s shock, a good hundred feet in the air above the ground. Devoe, in his chair, simply hovered above the ground while Barry had to grab onto the edge of the chair to avoid falling to certain death. Barry held onto Devoe’s chair for dear life as Devoe went on a joyride through the city like an irresponsible teenager in their first car. Devoe crashed through the sides of buildings and weaved through traffic in an attempt to shake Barry off, to no avail. Devoe pressed some button and two metal claws popped out of the chair. They tried to strike him but Barry vibrated his body, so they got the chair instead of him.

There was an explosion that followed and Barry was sent flying. He screamed as he flew down before he desperately pressed a button.

“Flotation mode activated,” a female voice said before Barry’s suit blew up like a hot air balloon. 

Barry landed harmlessly in the river, floating as he saw Devoe’s chair crash into the river.

“Life raft was a good call Cisco,” Barry muttered.

Star Labs  
Not long after

“Found him,” Cisco said as he saw a second Barry Allen appear on the map of the city. “He’s…here.”

A second later, Barry stumbled into the cortex, his cowl down, looking exhausted. 

“Barry!” Iris exclaimed as she rushed to him, wrapping him in a hug.

Barry didn’t respond except to return the hug, looking like he was half conscious. It was clear he had been through an ordeal, though what, they didn’t know yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iris not choosing between Barry and Caitlin could have gotten both killed. It’s made to seem like Iris cares too much about Barry to choose, but it frankly says a lot about her ability to lead that she refused to make a difficult call.


	6. The one who will save us all

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen gives advice to Caitlin as, back in his timeline, the Avengers and Strange face Mxyzptlk and find out who he is working for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant for this chapter to be focused on the two earth’s timeline like I said but it worked better to throw in a few scenes of the canon timeline. Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy it.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“Okay Dominic, you need to lie very still,” Caitlin told Dominic as he laid on a bed in the med-bay.

“Explain this to me again, what’s he gonna do to me?” Dominic asked as he eyed Allen wearily.

“I’m gonna help get that bullet out of the back of your neck, that’s all you need to know,” Allen said as he walked over.

“It’s oaky, you can trust him,” Caitlin assured Dominic as he looked skeptical.

“Well…I guess if he can get this thing out of the back of my neck, I’m game,” Dominic said as he looked at Allen. “Do it.”

Allen nodded as he walked over to Dominic. Caitlin nodded at him and, vibrating his hand, Allen phased through Dominic’s head, grabbed the bullet and carefully extracted it, pulling it out all within the span of a second. Caitlin then immediately got to work at stitching him up.

The Ninth Dimension, 2019  
Afternoon

“Whoa,” Cisco breathed as they all looked around, taking it all in.

The Ninth Dimension was like nothing any of them had imagined. The sky was a weird mix of green and yellow with large masses of rock in the sky that looked like bones were floating in the sky. And the ground looked like it was just floating in the sky.

“I feel like Goku and Vegeta going inside Majin Buu,” Cisco muttered and everyone but Frost looked at him oddly.

“What?” Steve asked confused.

“It’s some show he and Barry watched in high school, just ignore him,” Frost said with a sigh. 

“Where do we find Mxyzptlk?” Wanda asked, wanting to get right down to business.

“This is his home; chances are he already knows we’re here. He’ll come to us,” Strange said.

“What makes you think that?” Steve asked curiously.

“Because he’ll see this as fun as well, not to mention a challenge. And he can’t back down from a challenge,” Strange said grimly. 

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“Thank you for all your help,” Caitlin said as she and Allen cleaned up the med-bay. “I don’t just mean for Dominic, but for coming back here and saving my life.”

“It’s what friends are for, right?” Allen asked and she smiled tightly. “What’s going on?”

“What makes you think something’s going on?” Caitlin asked evasively.

“Because I know you. Come on, what’s up?” Allen asked and she was silent for a moment. 

“Cisco, Harry and Ralph have been hanging out with Killer Frost,” Caitlin finally said. “Jitters even named a drink after her.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Allen asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Everyone keeps going on about how great she is. Don’t me wrong, I’m glad she can help but I spent so long worrying she’d hurt people and now…” Caitlin trailed off, trying to find the words.

“You think they prefer her to you?” Allen realized and Caitlin looked away, the answer clear on her face. “That’s ridiculous.”

“How can you be so sure?” Caitlin asked and Allen paused.

This was something entirely new for him. His Caitlin had never expressed such self-doubt. He supposed that accepting Killer Frost rather than trying to take control of their body had helped quite a bit, not to mention falling in love with Steve. Allen was silent for a moment before he spoke.

“Tonight, before Cisco told me what was going on, I was about to head home,” he said and Caitlin looked up at him. “Constantine had found out a way to get me home. Do you know why I decided to come back here instead?”

“Because it’s who you are,” Caitlin said automatically and he smiled slightly.

“True, but what made me decide to come here tonight wasn’t out of any morality. It was something my Caitlin said to me the last time I saw her,” Allen said and she raised an eyebrow. “Heart and head. I wear my heart on my sleeve; usually I let it control my actions. She’s usually the one who keeps me in check, yells at me when I’m being stupid. But she left, so now I have to think with my heart and my head.”

“She just left you guys?” Caitlin asked surprised and Allen shook his head.

“No, I told her to go,” Allen said, only confusing her. “She fell in love with the leader of the Avengers when they came to Earth-1. He had to go back and she stayed with us, but I could see how much it hurt her to be away from him. So I told her to go be with him.”

“And she just left?” Caitlin asked, still in disbelief.

“She did what I told her to do, to live for herself for once,” Allen said as Caitlin tried to absorb this. “But back to my point, she is the one person who knows me better than anyone ever has. And so I know that if anyone prefers Frost to you, they are an idiot.”

“Thank you,” Caitlin said, smiling before kissing him on the cheek. “I missed this version of you. The less selfish version who was there for me…for us.”

“He’s only as gone as you let him be,” Allen said and she looked at him as though he’d suddenly spouted another head.

“You’ve seen him, you know who he is now,” Caitlin pointed out.

“What I know is that he’s lost his way. And yeah, I’m still pissed about Thawne. But it doesn’t have to be this way between you guys. You can do something about it; you can try and reach him. Just because someone loses their way doesn’t mean they can’t find it again. Sometimes, they just need a guiding hand to show them the way,” Allen said and Caitlin was silent for several moments.

“What if it’s hopeless? What if Barry is just…too far gone?” Caitlin asked with doubts.

“It’s only hopeless if you give up on him. And I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t be here if you had,” Allen said and Caitlin nodded. “You want your friend back? Fight like hell to save him from himself.”

The Ninth Dimension, 2019  
Afternoon

“So tell me again why we didn’t call someone like Thor or Kara?” Cisco asked as they walked through the Ninth Dimension, looking around for any sign of Mxyzptlk.

“This place has an unusual effect on beings like Asgardians and Kryptonians. Any alien entering loses all rational thought,” Strange explained.

“Indeed they do. I guess they just can’t handle my realm.”

Suddenly, Mxyzptlk appeared in front of them, chuckling mischievously. Immediately, everyone was ready, Strange summoning two Tao Mandalas as Steve grabbed his shield. Wanda’s hands glowed with red energy as Frosts hands began emitting mist and Cisco held up his hands, ready for a Vibe blast at any moment.

“Where is my husband?” Wanda hissed, her eyes glowing red.

“What’s the matter, you seem a little mad?” Mxyzptlk asked with a chuckle. 

“Enough. You’ve taken Barry Allen. Return him or suffer the consequences,” Strange ordered and Mxyzptlk laughed.

“I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to,” Mxyzptlk said with a grin.

“Who are you working for?” Steve demanded.

Immediately, everyone noticed a change. Mxyzptlk’s grin vanished, replaced by a frown as he paled. They could now see the fear in his eyes, plain for all to see. Gone was the mischievous trickster, in his place a scared man-child who feared someone more powerful than himself.

“Who are you so afraid of?” Cisco asked. “Did they put you up to this?” 

Apparently, Cisco pushed a button, as Mxyzptlk’s eyes flashed with fear and anger.

“I fear no one!” Mxyzptlk roared as he waved his hands, blue-white energy emitting from them.

Suddenly, several large boulders appeared in the sky, levitating as they circled one another. Then, they came flying at the group of heroes. Wanda used her powers to stop a few of them as Strange sent some to the Mirror Dimension and Cisco opened a breach, catching one. At the same moment, a breach opened up not far from Mxyzptlk. The boulder came out as Wanda directed her boulders towards him as well. However, Mxyzptlk waved his hands and the boulder flew back towards the heroes. Strange waved his hands and, just before the boulders hit them, they all instantly turned into a large swarm of butterflies. 

“Did you really think it would be that easy?” Strange asked as two Tao Mandalas appeared on his hands.

With a roar of anger, or perhaps fear, Mxyzptlk waved his glowing hands as, to the shock of the group, two giant, stone statues that rose out of the ground.

“Oh Frak,” Cisco said before the statues made a move towards them.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“So I made this?” Cisco asked as he and Allen were in his workshop, Cisco examining Allen’s Flash Ring.

“No, it and the suit were made by someone on Earth-66 named Leo Fitz. Maybe you’ll meet him someday,” Allen said, smiling as he thought of how Cisco would react to Fitz. 

“I hope so,” Cisco said, thinking he’d like to meet the guy who improved the Flash suit. “So this is really bullet proof? I could never figure out how to make that happen with you speed. This guy might be even smarter than me.”

“Might just be more experienced. Earth-66, it’s a crazy place,” Allen said and it was silent for a moment. “So no sign of Devoe?”

“Yeah, it’s like he just vanished,” Cisco said with a sigh. “And we know he didn’t drown.”

“It would be naïve to think he did,” Allen said with a nod. “Any idea what he wants?”

“Barry thinks he’s interested in his powers but I don’t know, it seems like someone as smart as Devoe would have some way to drain his speed if that’s what he wanted,” Cisco said skeptically. 

“Well, whatever he’s after, you’ll figure it out. You always do and I’m sure it’s not any different in this timeline,” Allen said as he placed a hand on Cisco’s shoulder and Cisco smiled.

“Thanks man,” Cisco said as he handed Allen the ring back. “So we’re all gonna head to Joe’s for the Christmas party. I don’t think Joe would mind I you stopped by.”

“Thanks for the offer but I don’t think Iris would be too pleased with me just dropping in and I don’t wanna cause problems for Joe,” Allen said as he put the Flash Ring back on. “I appreciate the offer though.”

“So what will you do now then?” Cisco asked and Allen shrugged.

“Head back to Star City I guess, hope I haven’t missed my only chance at getting home,” Allen said truthfully and Cisco’s insides twisted uncomfortably. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have involved you in this,” Cisco said but Allen shook his head. 

“You wanted to save your best friends; I’d do the same thing in your position. And if I had to make that decision again, I’d still make the same choice. It was the right thing to do,” Allen said as he placed a hand on Cisco’s shoulder. “Good luck buddy.”

Allen then turned and walked out, leaving Cisco to his thoughts. As he was walking down the hall, he rounded the corner and nearly ran into Barry. They stopped and an awkward silence filled the hall as both remembered their last encounter. 

“Barry,” Allen greeted neutrally. 

“Hey,” Barry said awkwardly. “Look, um, I wanted to thank you. I know you gave up your way home to come help me and Caitlin, so thank you for that.”

“I didn’t do it for you, I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Allen said pointedly. “Maybe you should try it some time.”

“Do you really think that low of me?” Barry asked, in disbelief at how much Allen seemed to dislike him.

“Honestly? Yeah, I do,” Allen said honestly. “Did you know Oliver has files on the computer in his lair? Not just on the bad guys, but on Team Flash and the Legends to. He keeps on eye on us, waiting for the day we go rogue, hoping it never comes.”

“He told you this?” Barry asked lowly, his face growing paler with every word Allen spoke.

“My Oliver did, a long time ago. I guess mine trusts me more than yours trusts you,” Allen said with a shrug. “I asked this timeline’s Oliver if I could look at his file on you. For every supposedly heroic action you take, there’s always a level of selfishness there to. I hope the hero you used to be is still inside you somewhere but so far, I haven’t seen him.”

Allen then walked passed Barry, leaving the slightly younger version of himself alone with his thoughts. 

The Ninth Dimension, 2019  
Afternoon

Steve rolled out of the way, barely avoiding getting hit as one of the stone giants stepped where Steve had been moments earlier. With a roar, Wanda waved her hands, glowing with energy as her eyes flashed red. The stone giant glowed red before it was sent crashing into the other giant and the two fell. The giants landed on the ground, a large dust cloud forming as they fell to pieces, leaving only rubble. 

“Nice work,” Frost said, out of breath as the five of them regrouped.

“It’s not over yet,” Strange said grimly.

As if to prove him right, Mxyzptlk waved his hand and the remains of the giants flew into the air, circling them like a shark. Then, with the speed of a bullet, the debris rained down on them. Steve and Frost attempted to dodge as Wanda and Strange deflected the debris while Cisco opened up breaches to send the debris somewhere else.

“Okay, this isn’t working! We need a new plan!” Cisco said as he sent the debris off to the side. 

“The only way to defeat him is if some of us distract him while the others go at him in a frontal assault. Otherwise he’ll get us eventually,” Steve said.

“I agree,” Strange said, moving his hands and cutting a piece of debris in half. “Ramon, Wanda and I will draw his attention. Create a breach for Captain Rogers and Frost then you move in with them. Anyone have any objections to that plan?”

“Nope,” Frost said, her eyes flashing. 

“On my signal,” Steve said and the others nodded.

Steve then, to their shock, rushed forward, grabbing his shield and jumped. He landed on a piece of debris before throwing his shield. Taking that as the signal, Wanda moved her hands and the pieces of debris stopped. As Steve jumped down, Wanda waved her hands and all the debris went flying back at Mxyzptlk. At the same moment, Cisco opened a breach and Frost went through it. 

Mxyzptlk waved his hands and all the debris turned into, of all things, bubbles. However, he didn’t have time to laugh about it, as Steve’s shield was sailing towards him. He waved his hand and it was sent sailing back towards Stave. Steve ducked, dodging it as a breach opened up next to Mxyzptlk. Frost, on an ice bridge, emerged from it and quickly began shooting ice daggers from her hands. Mxyzptlk quickly raised his hands and tried to send them back at her but, to his surprise, they suddenly glowed red, looking like they were trying to fight his commands. Wanda smirked as Frost continued to fire more ice daggers at him. 

Out of patience, Mxyzptlk roared as he waved his hands, a blast of energy emitting from him that sent Frost flying back, her ice bridge and daggers evaporating. Cisco quickly opened up a breach and another one opened up near Frost. She flew into it and emerged from the other one, where Steve caught her as her hair and eye color returned to normal.

“My hero,” Caitlin joked.

“Enough,” a voice that seemed to echo through the ninth dimension suddenly spoke with power and authority before there was a bright light that blinded them. 

When the light faded, all six of them stood in a room that seemed to exist in outer space, given the stars in the darkness all around them. And standing a few feet away from them was a dark skinned man wearing a suit that vaguely reminded Steve of Thanos’ armor. As he saw the man, Cisco gapped.

“You. You’re The Monitor. You’re the guy who switched Barry and Oliver’s bodies!” Cisco exclaimed and Steve looked surprised.

“What?” Steve asked.

“A few weeks before Thanos, he gave a washed up professor at Gotham University a book that allowed him to alter reality. He used it to switch Barry and Oliver’s bodies,” Caitlin explained and Steve looked like he was getting a headache. 

“I miss the days when the weirdest thing around was me,” Steve grumbled. 

“Mar Novu, it is an honor,” Strange said sounding humbled as Cisco, Wanda, Caitlin and Steve all looked at him oddly.

“You know him?” Wanda asked.

“Only by reputation. Mar Novu, or The Monitor as you know him, is the guardian of the multiverse,” Strange said and Novu nodded at Strange.

“Thank you for your words Stephen Strange,” Novu said kindly.

“You, you did this. You’re the one Mxyzptlk has been working for,” Wanda hissed, her eyes glowing red as the realization hit her.

“Yes, I did,” Novu admitted. “But your husband is in no danger Wanda Maximoff, I assure you.”

“If Barry isn’t in danger, why do this?” Steve demanded.

“He thinks that some sort of crisis is coming,” Caitlin explained.

“Not a crisis, an Apocalypse the likes of which the multiverse has never seen,” Novu corrected as everyone looked horrified. “Oliver Queen believes that Barry Allen is our best hope. Let us see if he’s right.”

“So this whole thing…is some kind of test?” Cisco asked in disbelief.

“Why test Barry? Kara helped save us to, why not test her instead?” Wanda demanded and Mar Novu was silent for a moment.

“Among the many misconceptions humanity holds dear is that al beings are created equal. In truth, there are those who are greater: Heroes such as yourselves. But even among heroes, there are different estulans,” Novu said as all them looked taken back. “The highest belong to those known as Paragons.”

“Paragons? I thought those were just a myth,” Strange said stunned but Novu smirked.

“At one point, did you not think things like the multiverse and aliens were a myth?” Novu asked pointedly.

“And you think Barry is one of these Paragons?” Steve asked as he crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.

“If Oliver Queen is correct, I think Barry Allen may be the one who will save us all,” Novu said, stunning them into silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I did okay on the fight scene, group fight scenes, especially ones with powers like Strange and Mxyzptlk, are tricky, so hope I did a good job there. 
> 
> Before anyone asks, no, I am not doing Crisis on Infinite Earths, because god, what an awful crossover, it was physically painful for me to watch most of it. But I am doing a story loosely based on it that will utilize the concept of Paragons. Not sure when I’ll get to it, as there’s at least one more story in between it and this one, but I will get to it. 
> 
> I am also not going to be doing an Elseworlds story. While I enjoyed it at the time, the end of Arrow’s seventh season and Crisis greatly soured my opinion on it. So, let’s just say that some version of it happened with things mostly remaining the same minus the inclusion of Batwoman, kay? If need be, I will use flashbacks telling the differences if it’s relevant, but otherwise, not doing it.


	7. Rebirths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As The Avengers question The Monitor about Barry, a face from the past reemerges. Devoe puts his plan into motion as Barry comes to a realization.

Unknown area in time and space, 2019

“So, if Barry passes this test, what happens then?” Cisco asked as the five heroes stared at Novu, waiting for his answer.

“If Barry Allen passes my test, he will be allowed to return to you,” Novu said and although his words should have brought relief, four of the heroes suddenly had pits in their stomachs.

“And if he fails?” Steve inquired.

“If he fails, then he will suffer the consequences of that failure,” Novu said ominously.

“Oh would you stop being so vague?” An accented voice suddenly spoke up.

Wanda tensed at the sound of the voice, in disbelief as Steve; Caitlin and Cisco looked shocked by the sound. Novu simply looked annoyed as someone appeared next to him.

It was a man in his early twenties, dressed in a red and white suit. He was both solid and not, appearing like a hologram yet he was not one. His eyes were yellow but kind, warm, laughter appearing his eyes.

“What, you did see that coming?” Pietro Maximoff asked jokingly.

West house, 2017

Night

The party was in full swing, even Dominic had showed up. As everyone else was having a good time, Barry was sitting at the table, deep in thought; he almost didn’t hear the chair next to him pull oup. Barry looked up as Caitlin sat down next him.

“Are you okay?” Caitlin asked concerned.

“Yeah, fine,” Barry said but he was obviously lying.

Part of Caitlin that sounded a lot like Killer Frost said to just leave him alone, the way he had left her alone. But, remember Allen’s words, she decided to keep pushing, hoping it would prove to be the breakthrough she and Cisco had been hoping for.

“Even after all these years, you’re still a terrible liar. Come on, what’s bothering you,” Catlin prodded gently and Barry was silent or a moment.

“Have I really been such an awful friend lately?” Barry asked, looking her in the eyes, his tormented orbs meeting her surprised ones. “Please Cait, I need to know.”

“Honestly, yeah. Ever since you got together with Iris…it’s like Cisco and I don’t exist to you anymore unless you need something from us,” Caitlin didn’t like hurting Barry, but she didn’t see how things would ever change if she wasn’t honest with him.

“Then why do you stay with me?” Barry asked as it truly hit him about how horrible he’d been to his two best friends.

“Because you’re my friend,” Caitlin said as if it explained everything.

“Even if I don’t deserve it?” Barry asked and Caitlin was silent for a moment.

“It’s not about deserving; it’s about what you’re willing to give. You never have to ask for anything, because we give it without hesitation. It’s what friends are for,” Caitlin said and Barry was silent for a moment.

“If you had a chance to do it all over again…would you?” Barry asked quietly.

“If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would do everything exactly the same,” Caitlin said, surprising Barry. “If I’d done things any differently, I might have never met you and Cisco. And that’s worth all the pain.”

“I don’t-I don’t want to be this person anymore, this person who doesn’t care about his friends…but I don’t know how to get back to who I used to be. Please Cait…help me,” Barry said, looking as lost as he was the day Zoom had murdered his father.

“I will be there every step of the way until you don’t need to be anymore,” Caitlin promised as she reached over and took his hand.

Looking over, Iris frowned as she saw this. The way they were holding hands didn’t seem romantic and yet…the sight of it filled her with dread.

Iris was broken out of her thoughts when someone knocked on the door.

“You expecting anyone else Joe?” Cisco asked.

Joe shook his head, wondering who could be knocking as he walked over to the front door. Opening it, he saw Allen standing on the other side of the door.

“Hey,” Allen greeted. “I really didn’t feel like crashing on Oliver and Felicity’s couch tonight and Cisco invited me. I hope it’s okay.”

“Yeah, it’s fine, it’s more than fine,” Joe said as he stepped aside, letting Allen inside.

Allen made his way inside, not responding to Iris’ frosty look as he greeted Harry and Ralph.

“Hey man, you made it!” Cisco said excitedly and Allen shrugged.

“Your offer sounded more appealing that crashing on Oliver and Felicity’s couch again,” Allen said even as he accepted a hug from Cisco.

As they let go,, Allen saw Caitlin and Barry sitting close together. From the look Caitlin shot him, Allen fought the smile on his face, knowing she was taking his advice to heart.

“Hey, it’s good to see you,” Caitlin said as she stood up and walked over, giving him a hug before stepping back, gesturing to Dominic. “You remember Dominic.”

“Hard to forget a guy when you phase a bullet out of his brain,” Allen joked.

“How are there two of you?” Dominic asked as he looked back and forth between Barry and Allen.

“That is a long story best saved another time,” Allen said after an awkward silence that no one seemed to know how to break. “So how’s your neck?”

“Pretty good, Caitlin fixed me up pretty good,” Dominic said and Allen nodded.

“Yeah, she’s good at that,” Allen said, smiling at Caitlin before clasping Dominic on the shoulder. “Keep out of trouble; they can’t save you every time.”

Allen then walked passed Dominic and over to Barry. Barry looked up at him, expecting another lecture, but Allen just sat down in the seat across from him. As the others went back to the party, Barry and Allen regarded each other silently.

“You seem different,” Allen finally said, taking Barry back. “There’s no self-righteous look in your eyes, not anymore.”

“Not much to be self-righteous about when you realize you’ve turned your back on the two people closest to you. You were right about me,” Barry finally admitted.

“Well, at least you’re willing to admit it. That’s the first step. The most difficult fight you’ve have is looking inside yourself and fighting the hero inside again. And you have something I didn’t have,” Allen said and Barry raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?” Barry asked.

“Cisco and Caitlin,” Allen said simply.

Before Barry could respond, he felt his pocket vibrate. Reaching inside, he pulled out his cell phone. As he took a look at the screen, he frowned.

“What’s up?” Allen asked.

“Security at the loft. I’m sure it’s just more gifts being delivered,” Barry said as he saw the weary look on Allen’s face. “Tell everyone I’ll be right back.”

Barry then sped out as Allen stared after him, unable to shake the feeling of dread in his stomach.

Unknown area of space and time, 2019

“Pietro,” Wanda breathed, tears rolling down her face.

“You’re dead, your crushed body was pulled out of the rubble of CCPD,” Cisco said in shock.

“I am dead, but death was not the end for me,” Pietro said vaguely.

“Pietro Maximoff’s body may have died, but his spirit was still strong,” Novu said, annoyed at Pietro’s interruption. “I resurrected his spirit so that he would act as a bridge between the spiritual and mortal plane.”

“So basically…you’re a Deadman,” Cisco said after a moment and Pietro smiled.

“I suppose so,” Pietro said before looking over at Wanda. “Hey sis.”

“Pietro,” Wanda said weakly, reaching out to touch him.

“Unless you want me to possess your body, I wouldn’t try it,” Pietro said regretfully and Wanda stopped. “Part of the deal, I can’t touch someone without possessing them. But it’s good to see you.”

“You as well son,” Steve said, happy to see that Pietro was…for lack of a better word, alright.

“He’s placed Barry in a timeline where he never came to Earth-66,” Pietro said, making Novu glare at him. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. They deserve to know. Besides, she’s my sister.”

“Why would you put him there?” Caitlin asked as she crossed her arms.

“I’m sure that you and Cisco Ramon both saw it,” Novu said after a moment, knowing Pietro would tell them one way or another. “How, after Flashpoint, he started to pull away from you.”

“Now that you mention it…” Cisco trailed off as he and Caitlin exchanged a glance, remembering the feeling of distance they had felt with Barry, which they had just brushed off as Barry’s guilt about Flashpoint.

“Barry Allen was stating to become consumed by his obsessive love for Iris West,” Novu said, bringing their attention back to him. “His time on Earth-66 allowed him to reevaluate what was important in his life. Under the guidance of Captain Rogers, he became a better hero. A better man.”

“But in this timeline, that never happened,” Steve noted and Novu noted.

“You put him there so he could see what he could have become,” Strange realized and Novu nodded. “But there’s more to it than that. What else are looking for?”

“He wants to see if Barry is as good as Oliver thinks,” Pietro supplied and Novu shot him an annoyed look.

“And how would he prove that he’s that good?” Caitlin inquired.

“If he does for his counterpart of that timeline as Captain Rogers once did for him,” Novu said and Steve looked surprised. “If he guides the Barry Allen of that timeline, helps him find his way back from his lowest point, then he will pass my test. And then he will be returned to you.”

There was a bright flash of light and, when it faded, Steve, Wanda, Strange, Caitlin and Cisco found themselves back at The Playground. Clint, Natasha, Bucky and Sam were sitting on the couch, staring at them.

“How’d you just show up here?” Sam asked in confusion and the five of them exchanged uneasy glances.

“It’s a long story. On the bright side, we know where Barry is. On the downside, getting him home won’t be easy,” Cisco said with a sigh.

West-Allen Loft, 2017

Night

Barry sped into the loft and deactivated the alarm. As he did, his phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw ‘unknown caller’ flash across the screen. Barry frowned before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hello Mr. Allen,” a voice that was both familiar and different answered and Barry frowned.

“Dominic?” he asked more than he said.

“You really have an acute sense of detection and wit. But, like I said, you are incapable of seeing the breath of my machinations,” ‘Dominic’ said and Barry’s blood ran cold.

“Devoe?” he breathed.

“You really should have listened to your teacher,” Devoe lectured him.

“How is this possible?” Barry demanded, his mind whirling.

_Central City_

_Earlier_

_Dominic was walking down the street when a black limo rolled up next to him. In the window’s reflection, he saw Amunet walk up behind him. Before he could run, she grabbed him from behind._

_“Hello Dom,” she greeted calmly. “I told you, I have an important buyer.”_

_She then slammed his head into the window, shattering it and knocking him out._

_Dominic came to a little later, lifting his head up to see he was in a construction site. Marlize Devoe stood a few feet from him._

_“Please, don’t do this to me,” Dominic begged._

_“Oh, I won’t be doing anything to you,” Marlize assured him._

_Hearing a sound behind him, Dominic got up and saw Devoe hovering in his chair._

_“Pleased to meet you Dominic Lanse. Or should I say, Subject Six,” Devoe said as the claws deployed from his chair._

_Before Dominic could move, the claws strapped themselves to his head and Dominic froze, pained grunts leaving is move._

_“Now, I have created many Metahumans, but only your unique abilities will allow me to do…this,” Devoe said as he exchanged a look with Marlize._

_Suddenly, the claws flashed with an orange light and both Devoe and Dominic let out agonizing screams for several seconds. Then, the light faded and the claws dropped. Devoe slumped forward in his chair as Dominic fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Marlize knelt down next to him and, as he looked at her, she knew it was no longer Dominic. The man in control of this body was her husband, Clifford Devoe._

Now

“Six months ago, you emerged from the Speed Force a new man. In order for you and the world to experience my plan, I too needed to be reborn,” Devoe explained.

“If you hurt my family-” Barry started.

“I have no interest in your family,” Devoe quickly assured him. “Besides, you’re gonna need someone to miss you when you’re gone.”

“What did you do?” Barry demanded as he paled.

“I merely left something for you. It’s a re-gift as it were, I don’t have any need for it anymore,” Devoe said smugly before the line went dead.

As Barry lowered the phone from his ear, he saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach. On the kitchen table was an open container that had contained two knives, a wedding gift from Oliver and Felicity. But now there was only one, the other was missing. As he neared it, he saw some drops of blood on the floor near the Christmas tree. Following it with his heart racing, he saw Clifford Devoe’s body, a stab wound in his heart and the other knife, covered in blood, mere inches from his head.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

“Allen, it’s CCPD. Open up!” Captain Singh’s voice said from the other side of the door.

Before Barry could move, there was a blur of movement and he and Devoe’s body disappeared from the room just as the door was busted down.

Star Labs

Moments later

Barry blinked as he and Devoe’s bod were suddenly in the cortex. Allen slumped against the wall, looking exhausted as he threw the bloodied knife down.

“Well, we have a problem,” Allen said gruffly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pietro as Deadman was something I originally planned to do in Crisis on Two Earths but I ended up scrapping it because I could never find a good time to introduce him. 
> 
> Barry’s turn around might seem sudden, but ultimately, he is still the same person he was when we first met him, somewhere underneath the selfish jackass we see these days. I think if Caitlin or Cisco were to just call him on what’s been happening, he would be able to get his head on straight. 
> 
> Barry’s prison Arc was one of the better storylines of season four (which really isn’t saying much), but I could never get behind it because of how stupid the execution was. Completely ignoring the fact that Barry would never break into someone’s house as himself, Barry would have been more than capable of getting Devoe’s body out of there. And he ran to the Loft, so this gives him an alibi with multiple witnesses. The blood in the floor does not look good, but it looks a lot better than finding Barry standing over Devoe’s body. It’s all just so stupid.


	8. Flash V Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As The Avengers attempt to persuade Strange to help find Barry, Team Flash comes up against an unlikely enemy.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“So now Devoe can swap bodies?” Cisco asked as they all stood in the cortex, staring at Allen and Barry in disbelief. 

“The way Devoe described it; I wouldn’t call it a body swap. It’s more like Devoe…took over Dominic’s body,” Barry said, trying to put it into words.

“Barry’s right,” Caitlin said as she returned from running the autopsy. “The brain stopped functioning before the heart. He was braindead before he died. Whatever Devoe did, it somehow transferred his consciousness into Dominic’s body.”

“How is that even possible?” Ralph asked stunned.

“Possibility is only limited by the imagination. And Devoe doesn’t seem to have a limit to his,” Harry noted grimly.

“Thank you for getting Barry out of there,” Joe said as he looked over at Allen grateful. “Things could have gone a lot worse if you hadn’t.”

“Well, the blood is still going to come back as Devoe’s but with an alibi, there’s not much that can be done,” Allen said with a nod.

“You were fast though, even faster than me,” Barry noted with a hint of envy. “How are you faster than me?”

“It’s something new, something that happened recently,” Allen said vaguely as he thought of holding Mjolnir. “It made me faster, a lot faster.”

It was something they had discovered a few days before he and Wanda had left for their vacation. They had breached back to Earth-66 so Caitlin could run some test. Best as she could tell, holding Mjolnir and wielding Thor’s power had caused him to absorb the energy of the Asgardian weapon, increasing his speed and healing factor. 

Everyone eyed him, clearly sensing he was holding something back. But now wasn’t the time for interrogations. 

“So what do we do now? Devoe is in the wind,” Ralph asked.

“Not exactly,” Allen said as they all turned back to him. “At the party, I put a tracer on him.”

“What, when?” Cisco asked as they stared at him stunned.

“You clapped him on the shoulder,” Ralph remembered and Allen nodded.

“Did you know he was Devoe?” Iris demanded but Allen shook his head.

“No, but something about him felt…off. He was different somehow. I hoped I was being paranoid, but it never hurts to be careful,” Allen explained.

“Devoe is too smart to fall for that,” Harry noted.

“Which is why this isn’t an ordinary tracer,” Allen said as he pulled out a small device, a grey spec no larger than a thumb. “This tracer injects Nanites into the blood stream, painlessly and undetectable. For the next forty hours, we can track him wherever he goes.”

“Man, you’re like Barry and Oliver rolled into one,” Cisco said in awe and Allen smiled tightly.

“Well, after everything I’ve seen the last three years, a lot of Oliver’s decisions don’t look so crazy,” Allen said as he pocketed the device. “The point is we can track him. So, who’s up to taking Devoe down?”

The Playground, 2019   
Afternoon

“So, this Monitor guy sent Barry into a different timeline where he never met us?” Sam asked, trying to wrap his head around it.

“Just when I thought my life was crazy enough,” Cisco said as he plopped down onto the couch with a sigh.

“So we know where he is, but can we get him back?” Steve questioned with a glance towards Strange.

“It’s possible,” Strange admitted. “Using the Time Stone, theoretically, I could view these alternate timelines and find which one Barry is in.”

“So why do you look like it won’t be that easy?” Natasha inquired as she crossed her arms.

“Because just as there are infinite earths, there are infinite timelines, like the one Freya and Fate traveled back from. It will take some time for me to discover which one Barry is in,” Strange said but they still felt like he was holding something back.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Clint demanded.

“Honest, I’m not so sure I should try and find him,” Strange said after several moments, to their disbelief. “Mar Novu went to a lot of trouble to put Barry in this alternate timeline. I imagine he won’t let Barry leave until he believes that Barry has passed his test.”

“I don’t care,” Wanda hissed, her eyes flashing red.

“Your Monitor buddy can try as hard as he wants, but we’re going to find Barry, with or without your help,” Cisco said as he got to his feet. “Are you gonna help us or not?”

Strange looked around and saw the same determination was in the eyes of everyone else. 

“I will help you,” Strange final gave in. “If only to make sure you don’t destroy the timeline trying to find him. But it will take me some time to locate the timeline Barry has been placed in.”

“Well we don’t have anywhere to be. Get started,” Clint said with a ‘get going’ gesture. 

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“How do we know that Devoe didn’t read your mind and isn’t waiting for you?” Iris demanded.

“Because you can’t read the mind of a Speedster,” Allen said, surprising them. “I checked, one of the Avengers is a mind reader. Our minds run more than ten times faster than a normal human’s. A mind reader can’t keep up with it; the most they’ll get is a few words or images here and there.”

“Well, that’s something at least. We have one advantage,” Harry noted.

Suddenly, Barry slumped against the computer desk, using his hands to support himself. He let out a pained grunt as the all looked at him concerned.

“Barry?” Iris questioned as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Run,” Barry said in a choked gasp.

Suddenly, Barry’s arm flew out and struck Iris across the face. She went down, holding her face as everyone stared shocked. Before they could process what had just happened, Barry sped over, grabbed Harry by the throat, and threw him into the wall. Barry turned to face the others and they noticed a blank, emotionless, almost robotic look on his face and eyes.

“Barry?” Joe questioned but Barry didn’t respond.

“Stay back,” Allen said as he stepped in front of them. “Devoe, he did something to Barry when he had him. I recognize the look of someone being controlled.” 

“We need to get him into the pipeline,” Caitlin said, her eyes flashing as Killer Frost took over.

“He’s not gonna let that happen,” Allen said, taking off his jacket and throwing it to the floor. “Leave him to me. You just have a cell ready.” 

Allen and Barry then rushed each other, meeting in a high speed tackle. The pair sped through the building before stopping in the Speed Lab. Barry slugged Allen but Allen shrugged it off, grabbing Barry and throwing him down to the floor. Barry got right back up, staring at Allen with that same robotic look on his face.

“I don’t want to hurt you Barry, but I will if I have to,” Allen said firmly. 

Barry simply rushed him at super speed. Allen held his ground, pushing back as Barry tackled him. They continued to speed all throughout the building as they traded blows. They made it into the longue and sped out the balcony. The glass shattered as they went through it and then they were in midair, trading blows. Allen blocked Barry’s strike with one hand as he rotates his free arm, creating a small cyclone. The cyclone slowed their fall and, at the right level, Allen sent a powerful kick to Barry’s chest. Barry was sent flying, hitting the Star Labs sign and going right through it. He hit the side of the building and slumped to the ground. Allen reached the ground, letting out a sigh of relief before, to his shock, Barry got back to his feet.

“You’re tougher than I thought,” Allen muttered. “I’m gonna have to stop going easy on you.”

The two rushed each other and exchanged a high speed punch. They speed around in a circle, exchanging blows and Allen had a flashback of doing this same thing with Thawne in front of Star Labs several years ago, when he was first starting out.

They took off into the sky in a blur of movement and landed on the roof. They traded some more blows at high speed before Allen sent a powerful kick to Barry’s chest. Barry was sent flying into the tower behind him and, before he could recover, Allen was there, punching him at high speed. Allen waited until he was sure Barry was out cold before he stopped. Barry slumped forward and caught Barry, wincing as he saw Barry’s bloodied face.

The Playground, 2019  
Late afternoon

For the last hour and a half, everyone watched as Strange meditated in midair, holding the Time Stone as he scanned alternate timelines for Barry. As they watched, Clint walked up next to Wanda.

“Hey, are you okay? I know it can’t have been easy…seeing him,” Clint trailed off.

“It wasn’t,” Wanda admitted. “But, in a weird way…it helped. I always wondered…what happened to him, if he was okay. Now I know he is. I know he’s off doing important work, whatever it is. And I’m proud of him.”

“I’m sure he’s proud of you to,” Clint assured her as he placed a hand on Wanda’s shoulder.

“I found him,” Strange said as his eyes snapped open.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

Iris, a bag of ice on her face, watched with the others as Caitlin and Cisco presented their findings after doing an x-ray of Barry.

“You see this little spec at the base of his skull?” Caitlin asked as she gestured to a small, grey dot at the neck area. 

“What is it?” Joe asked worriedly.

“My best guess, Devoe implanted it in Barry at some point while he had him in his evil lair,” Cisco said. 

“How do we get it out?” Ralph asked and Caitlin and Cisco exchanged a look.

“It’s not that simple Ralph. To try and get it out surgically would be very risky. Not to mention Barry’s healing factor,” Caitlin explained.

“So we don’t remove it surgically,” Allen said as they glanced over at him. “I’ll phase through and get it out myself.”

“It’s possible but...there are risks,” Caitlin said doubtfully.

“Well, the only other option is to leave it in so Devoe can control Barry whenever he wants,” Allen argued and it was silent for a moment. 

“He’s right,” Harry said and they all looked at him. “The only solution is for Allen to take it out.”

“Do it,” Joe said and Allen nodded. 

“Why would Devoe put this in Barry anyway? From the sounds of it, he’s an egotist who thinks we’re all ants,” Ralph pointed out.

“I think it’s because of me,” Allen said and they all looked over at him. “I’m an unknown variable, Devoe’s plan didn’t account for me. He put this in Barry’s head in order to make Barry kill me.” 

As everyone absorbed this, suddenly, an orange circle opened up in the corner of the room. As everyone else jumped back, Allen smiled in relief as Strange stepped out.

“Mr. Allen,” Strange greeted.

“Dr. Strange,” Allen greeted politely as Team Flash looked at him confused. “I have never been so happy to see you.”

“So uh, who’s your friend?” Cisco asked as they waited for Allen to answer.

“Stephen Strange, he’s from the same earth as The Avengers,” Allen explained before turning to Strange. “I assume Cisco headed to Earth-66 to find you?”

“Not just him,” Strange said as Wanda stepped out of the portal next to him.

“Barry,” Wanda said in relief upon seeing him.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Allen stared at her. Then, he sped over and, to the shock of Team Flash, grabbed his wife and kissed her fiercely. As they saw this, Joe and Caitlin quickly put together that this was Wanda, Allen’s wife. Glancing over at Iris’ shocked face, Joe knew she wouldn’t take this well.

“I was beginning to think I’d never see you again,” Allen said breathlessly as he pulled back, drinking her in after so many wees without seeing her.

“You can’t get rid of me that easy,” Wanda said with a smile.

“Um, someone want to explain what’s going on?” Cisco said.

Allen let out a breath, knowing he’d have to explain this. He hadn’t wanted to deal with iris’ reaction, but it didn’t look like he had a choice.

“Everyone, this is Wanda…my wife,” Allen said as he turned around to face four stunned people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been wanting to do a Barry/Allen fight for a while and I figured this was as good a time as any to do it. Hope I did okay.
> 
> Until next time. Until then, stay safe from the Coronavirus everyone.


	9. The meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris reels from Allen's secret as Allen and Caitlin breaks the news to Barry about Devoe's device. Steve asks Cisco a stunning question.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“You’re what now?” Ralph asked, sure he had misheard Allen.

“My wife,” Allen repeated, already knowing from the look on Iris’ face this wasn’t going to go over well as he took Wanda’s hand and everyone noticed the ring on her finger which was a match for the one Iris was wearing. “Like I said, I was trapped on Earth-66 for a year with no way back. I had two choices: spend the rest of my life mourning what I’d lost or move on with my life, make the best of the situation I’d been dealt.”

“So you forgot about us,” Iris said, her voice cold.

“No, I never forgot about any of you,” Allen said in a matching tone as he glared her. “I thought of you guys every day, but I couldn’t wait for a day that could never come. I moved on with my life…and I fell in love.”

And that was clear for all to see. The way Allen looked at Wanda left little doubt of the way he felt about her. Seeing this, Iris’ temper flared even more as the perceived betrayal hurt even more.

“So what, you just left me for her once you got back?” Iris demanded, her eyes filling with angry tears. “How could you do that?”

“I don’t owe you any explanations; I already dealt with this with my Iris. The two of us made peace years ago. I don’t owe you anything,” Allen said bluntly as Joe and Cisco stared, never expecting those words to come out of Barry’s mouth, even if it wasn’t their Barry.

Iris stared, anger and disbelief on her face. Before another word could be spoken, Caitlin stepped forward.

“Enough, both of you,” she snapped. “This isn’t about you two; this is about helping Barry, our Barry.”

“She’s right, as usual,” Allen said with a calming breath as Iris opened her mouth to speak. “Strange is the best Neurosurgeon on Earth-66, I think he could help.”

“First, would someone please explain what’s going on?” Strange demanded impatiently, annoyed by the drama. 

“How much time you got?” Cisco asked sarcastically.

Down in the pipeline, in one of the cells, Barry groaned as he came to. Standing up, he winced as he felt pain shoot through his back.

“What hit me? And why am I in the pipeline?” Barry wondered.

In the cortex, Strange was looking at Barry’s x-ray, a hand to his face as he had a thoughtful look.

“So, what do you think? Is it possible for me to phase it out of him without leaving permanent damage?” Allen asked.

“It’s the safest option to remove it,” Strange said after a moment. “My hands aren’t what they used to be. And even if they were, the slightest miscalculation could paralyze Barry from the neck down. The safest option is for our Barry to remove the device by phasing it out.”

“Okay, now that we have a game plan, who’s gonna tell Barry?” Ralph asked.

The Playground, 2019  
Late afternoon

Steve led Cisco down the hall. After Strange and Wanda left to go get Barry, Steve had asked Cisco to come with him, claiming he needed Cisco’s help with an electrical problem. But given the confused looks Caitlin, Sam, Natasha and Bucky had shot their leader, Cisco had doubts about that.

“There is no electrical problem, is there?” Cisco asked and Steve stopped.

“No, I just needed an excuse to talk to you alone,” Steve said with a sheepish smile. “If this hadn’t happened, I would have made my way to Earth-1 in order to talk to you and Barry anyway.”

“What’s up man?” Cisco asked, worried it was something serious.

“You and Barry are the closest thing Caitlin has to family. I wanted to ask for your blessing,” Steve explained as he pulled something out of his pocket. 

Cisco at the ring Steve had just pulled. It was an old fashion ring, but none the less beautiful.

“Are you sure?” Cisco asked, finding his vice after a moment. “I mean, you and Caitlin just got back together a month ago. I don’t doubt that you love her but…”

“I knew the moment I left,” Steve said, confusing Cisco. “The moment I left Eath-1 after Savitar, the moment I was apart from her…I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. To be her husband, be the father of her children. But I would never be as selfish as to ask her to leave her life on Earth-1 to be with me. She’s given up so much to be with me…I want everyone to know how much I love her.”

“You really do love her, don’t you?” Cisco noted after a moment and Steve smiled sheepishly.

“I’ve never felt the way I feel about her about anyone before,” Steve admitted and Cisco nodded.

“All I want is for Caitlin to be happy; she deserves it after everything she’s been through. So yeah…I give you my blessing. If you’ll promise me one thing,” Cisco said.

“Name it,” Steve said immediately.

“Treat her right and make her happy,” Cisco said with an unusual serous look and Steve nodded.

“I’ll do my best,” Steve promised.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

Wanda was at the longue, staring out at the city. It had been a long time since she had been here during the night, once Cisco had turned Star Labs back into a business it had no longer been a hangout for Team Flash. It was nice to be back.

Feeling someone walk up next to her, she glanced over to see Joe.

“Mr. West,” she greeted politely, feeling off referring to Joe that way.

“Please, call me Joe,” Joe said and Wanda nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Wait, you knew?” Wanda asked surprised and Joe chuckled. 

“He may be from a different timeline, but I raised him. It wasn’t hard to figure out,” Joe told her.

“And you weren’t…mad?” Wanda asked wearily.

“No, how could I be? He moved on with his life when he thought he’d lost everything. I can’t be angry with him for that,” Joe assured her and the knot in Wanda’s stomach loosened. “So, you and Barry have a daughter?”

“Freya,” Wanda said with a smile before pulling out a picture and handing it to him. “We took that a few months.”

“She’s beautiful,” Joe said after a moment, a hint of regret as he stared at the granddaughter he’d never be able to meet.

Unseen to them, Iris stared at the scene; a feeling of betrayal hitting her at her father’s perceived disloyalty as he dared to make nice with the woman who had stolen Barry from her, even in a different timeline. Bottling the rage she felt, she turned and stormed off. 

Down in the pipeline, Barry looked up as the metal shelling of the cell lifted. He got to his feet as he saw Allen and Caitlin standing on the other side of the cell.

“So which Barry are we talking to?” Allen asked, only confusing Barry.

“What?” Barry asked.

“Barry, what’s the last thing you remember?” Caitlin asked gently and he closed his eyes as he tried to remember.

“Um, we were talking about the tracer you planted on Devoe and then there was this pain in my head. Then…I don’t remember. What happened?” Barry asked, realizing something must have happened.

“When Devoe had you captured, he planted something in the base of your skull. It allowed him to control you,” Caitlin said gently and Barry paled.

“What did I do?” Barry asked thickly.

“Nothing too bad,” Allen quickly assured him and Barry sighed in relief. “But that thing is too dangerous to leave in your head. So I’m gonna phase my hand though and get it out.”

“It’s the safest option we could come up with,” Caitlin said as Barry was silent for a few moments.

“Get this thing out of me,” Barry said with such conviction that, for the first time, Allen could see the similarities between them.

“Gladly,” Allen promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more filler than anything else, but it’s setting up the next few chapters.
> 
> I’m saving the big confrontation with Iris for later because Iris will be at her worst there. Trust me, it will happen.


	10. Ambush at Star Labs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Devoe and Marlize make a bold move to kill Allen. Allen gives Barry some important advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a very long chapter compared to last one, I know, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Star Labs  
Night

“So do you understand what’s going to happen?” Strange asked after he and Caitlin had finished explaining the procedure to Barry.

“Yeah, I think. Basically, you guys will give me another CAT scan to find out where exactly Devoe put whatever it is in me so Allen can phase it out,” Barry said and the two doctors nodded at him. “When do we get started?”

“In a few minutes. First, I’ll go out and explain to everyone else what’s going on,” Strange explained before he left the room, leaving them alone.

“Well, he seems friendly,” Barry said dryly.

“Yeah, from what Wanda said, he’s not the easiest person to get along with,” Caitlin said and Barry nodded.

“Wanda, she’s Allen’s…wife?” Barry asked in a state of disbelief and Caitlin nodded.

“Yeah, that has to be a lot to take in,” Caitlin said sympathetically and Barry nodded.

“You have no idea. How is she? I mean, what’s she like?” Barry asked curiously. 

“She seems nice, but I haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to her much,” Caitlin said and Barry nodded with a faraway look in his eyes. “It must be weird, knowing you’re married to someone else in another timeline.”

“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it. For as long as I can remember, I could never imagine myself marrying anyone else but Iris. Well, except for…” Barry paused but she didn’t need to hear him say it.

“Patty. You were gonna say Patty, right?” Caitlin said, smiling as she saw the look of surprise on his face. “Barry, you were gonna tell her your secret, ask her to join Team Flash. You even asked our opinion on it. It was obvious how you felt about her.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Barry said with a sad smile. “I’ll always regret that I wasn’t brave enough to tell her the truth, even when she practically begged me to. Patty…was the first time I could see a future with someone outside of Iris. I should have trusted her…I should have trusted her.”

Unspecified location  
Same time

“It appears we underestimated this other Barry Allen,” Marlize said as Devoe, now in Dominic’s body, paced. 

“Or perhaps we sent the wrong assassin,” Devoe said and she looked over at him confused. “Because he was a Barry Allen, we believed that the Barry Allen of this time could defeat him. But as they say, if you want something done right, we must do it ourselves.” 

Star Labs  
Later

Barry was sitting on the CT scanner as Allen stood in front of him, the two talking.

“As soon as we have a definite answer on where it is, I’ll phase it out,” Allen promised.

“Thank you. And not just for this, but from stopping me earlier,” Barry said gratefully but Allen waved him off. 

“I did what I had to, nothing more. You don’t need to thank me, although you probably owe Harry and Iris an apology,” Allen said and Barry grimaced.

“So I’ve heard,” Barry said and it was silent between them. “You were right earlier; you’ve been right all along. I’ve…lost myself in Iris, put Caitlin and Cisco at a distance. I’ve forgotten who I am, I know that…but I don’t know how to get back what I’ve lost.”

“That’s not something I can help you with, that’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself,” Allen said and Barry sighed but nodded. “Admitting that to yourself though, that’s a good first step. It’s not easy, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” Barry admitted.

“Before we get started, there’s one more thing we have to discuss,” Allen said and Barry raised an eyebrow. “The others sort of mutinied against Iris to bring me here. I’d take that as their vote of no confidence in her ability to lead.”

“So what do you want me to do about that?” Barry asked confused.

“Is the name of the Team ‘Team Flash’ or ‘Team Iris’?” Allen said pointedly. “Iris is not qualified to be leader, it’s luck that she managed it this long. You need to decide what kind of leader you want to be Barry. One who does whatever his wife tells him to? Or one who does what he thinks is right?”

Barry frowned, considering this as Allen walked back to where the others were waiting.

“He doing okay?” Joe asked concerned and Allen nodded, deciding not to tell them what he and Barry had discussed. 

“Just ready to get that thing out of his head,” Allen lied.

Barry lied back on the CT scanner as the bed went inside. He closed his eyes as he felt the scanner start to begin the process of scanning.

“So, what happens if Devoe tries to activate that thing while we’re doing this?” Ralph asked wearily.

“Devoe will have control of Barry once again. It’s why we’re trying to do this as quickly as possible,” Strange explained.

Suddenly, the screen froze as Caitlin and Cisco stared in confusion.

“What’s happening?” Iris demanded.

“We’re experiencing some kind of interference,” Cisco said as a chill ran down their spines.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash behind them. Everyone whirled around to see Devoe, in his chair, and Marlize, who was wielding a sword.

“I see you have brought friends,” Devoe said as he eyed Strange and Wanda. “Clifford Devoe.”

Suddenly, there was a blur and Barry, his face robotic and blank again, was standing next to Devoe and Marlize.

“Not again,” Iris groaned.

“You just had to say it, didn’t you Ralph?” Cisco grumbled.

“Let me guess, you’re here to kill me since your brainwashed Flash didn’t do the job?” Allen asked sarcastically. 

“I underestimated you Mr. Allen. I shall not make that mistake again,” Devoe said darkly.

“So how do you wanna do this?” Allen asked as he looked at Strange and Wanda.

“You deal with your other self, I will handle Devoe,” Strange said and Allen nodded.

“You believe you can defeat me?” Devoe asked amused.

“We’ve beaten people a lot stronger than you,” Wanda said as she thought of Savitar and Thanos.

“We shall see, Mrs. Allen,” Devoe said.

And then, the fight began. Barry and Allen were speeding around the room, exchanging blows at high speed. Marlize rushed at Wanda, whirling her sword. But Wanda used her powers to stop Marlize’s sword inches from her face before, with a flick of her wrist, she sent Marlize flying back. 

Devoe sent a claw towards Strange, who used a Tao Mandalas to cut it in half. Strange then summoned an Energy Rope, wrapped in aground the stump where the claw had been, and pulled, hand. Devoe’s chair was sent flying and he crashed into the wall on the other side of the room.

Barry and Allen raced around the room, exchanging blows. Barry tried to punch Allen but Allen grabbed his arm, bending it in a backwards angle, forcing Barry to his knees. However, Barry sent a high speed kick to Allen’s feet, knock him off balance. They ended up wrestling on the floor for a minute before Allen managed to put Barry in a chock hold. Barry tried to phase out but Allen was able to stop by vibrating at the same frequency. After a few moments, Barry lost consciousness and Allen let him go.

“This is getting really old,” Allen muttered.

Marlize moved to pick up her sword but Wanda used her powers to bring it to her hand. Then, Wanda flicked her wrist and Marlize’s entire body glowed red as she was pushed against the wall.

“Cisco,” Wanda called out.

Understanding what she wanted, Cisco opened a Breach underneath Marlize. Wanda canceled her hold on Marlize and Marline fell into the Breach, which spit her out in a cell in the pipeline a moment later. She tried to head back to the breach but it closed on her.

As Devoe got out of his damaged chair, which sparked from the damage inflicted when it had hit the wall, Killer Frost and Ralph moved to back up Strange but he held up a hand. 

“I can handle this myself,” Strange promised.

“You think you can defeat me Mr. Strange? Your arrogance will be the death of you,” Devoe sneered and Strange smiled tightly.

“Maybe, but you’re ego has already been the instrument of your defeat,” Strange said, waving his hands.

An orange circle opened up beneath Devoe and he fell in it as Strange waved his hands and the circle closed.

“Um, what just happened?” Joe asked as they all stared at the spot where Devoe had been moments earlier.

“Pocket dimension. He’ll spend the rest of eternity falling,” Strange said with a smirk.

“So…it’s over?” Iris asked uncertainly.

“Yeah,” Allen said as he walked up next to Wanda, throwing an arm around his wife. “It’s over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the end of Devoe. It probably feels pretty easy, but once Strange and Wanda came over, Devoe and Marlize weren’t much of a threat. 
> 
> Some of you were probably expecting the showdown with Iris but, as I planned this out, I realized I just didn’t want to do it. You can only do something like that so many times before you get bored with it. And I have. So, sorry, but there will be no showdown with Iris.
> 
> One more chapter before this ends. Until then, stay safe from the virus everyone.


	11. The Monitor's warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allen, Wanda and Strange return to their own time only to receive a dire warning from Novu. Barry makes some difficult decisions and is reunited with someone from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s the final chapter. Thanks to everyone’s support through all of this.
> 
> A warning. If you haven’t already read ‘A love of two earths’, some parts of this chapter might be confusing. It’s not necessary to read it but it might help.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night

“Okay, you ready Barry?” Allen asked as he stood over Barry, who was lying, his back facing Allen, on a bed.

“Just do it,” Barry said and Allen nodded.

Allen vibrated his hand and, in what appeared only as a blur of movement to the others, phased his hand into the back of Barry’s neck, grabbed the small device, and yanked his hand back out. Opening his hand, he saw the device, which mostly resembled a computer chip.

“So that’s the thing that caused all this trouble?” Ralph asked as he saw it. “I expected it to be smaller.”

Silently, Allen closed his fist around it and vibrated it for a few seconds. When he opened his hand, all the remained of the device was dust.

“Well, that takes care of that,” Cisco said as Allen tossed the remains of the device into the trashcan and Barry got to his feet. 

“Thank you,” Barry said, looking at Allen intently. “For everything.”

Allen nodded, understanding what Barry was saying, even if Barry couldn’t say it in front of the others.

“So, I guess you’ll be heading home now,” Joe noted a little wistful.

“That might not be possible,” Strange said and everyone but Wanda looked at him confused. “You didn’t end up here by accident.”

“What are you talking about?” Allen asked confused.

“Barry,” Wanda said lowly and both Allen and Barry looked over at her. “Sorry, my Barry. Mxyzptlk, he was working for The Monitor.” 

“The Monitor,” Allen said blankly, remembering the whole body switch episode from a few months ago. “Why would he do that, was this some sort of test?”

“Yes, and until we know for sure that you passed, I fear we’ll remain stuck here,” Strange said grimly. 

No sooner had he finished speaker then there was a bright light that blinded Team Flash. When they could see again, they saw that Allen, Wanda and Strange were gone.

“Uh, what just happened?” Ralph asked as they all stared at the spots were the trio had vanished in disbelief.

“If I had to take a guess, I believe this Monitor somehow transported them back to their own time,” Harry said.

Unknown area in time and space, 2019

Allen, Wanda and Strange found themselves back in the place where Novu had brought them the first time. And like last time, Novu stood across from them.

“Well done Mr. Allen,” Novu said, sounding pleased. “You have passed the test.”

“What test? What the hell was this about?” Allen demanded angrily.

“I wanted to see if you were the man Oliver Queen believed you to be. And he was right,” Novu said. “I put you in an environment where you were confronted with what you could have become had you never met The Avengers. Then, I offered you choices. And in every path, you chose to help the Barry Allen of that timeline, despite the fact you hated what he had become.”

“Wait, I thought you said Barry was sent to guide that timeline’s Barry?” Wanda asked confused.

“And so he did. Whatever steps your other self takes now, he will have to do it on his own,” Novu said as he glanced back a Allen, who stared at him stonily. “You proved Oliver Queen right. You are the hero that we will need in the coming Apocalypse.” 

“This apocalypse, when is it coming?” Strange demanded.

“In less than one year’s time,” Novu said simply and the three heroes were horrified. “Treasure the days until the Apocalypse. They may be your last.”

The next thing the three of them knew, there was a flash of light and they stood in the Playground, standing in front of the startled Steve, Caitlin, Cisco, Clint, Natasha, Sam and Bucky.

Star Labs, 2017  
Night 

“Well, it’s passed three, so I’m gonna head home and get some shut eye,” Joe said tiredly as he moved to head out.

“Wait, really, we’re just gonna head home now?” Ralph asked surprised.

“Ralph, there’s really nothing more we can do. Harry’s probably right and this Monitor took them back to their own time,” Barry pointed out.

“And even if we wanted to try and find them, we’d have no idea where to start,” Harry pointed out.

“Plus, that weird light looked a lot like the same one that brought Allen here a few weeks ago,” Cisco added and Harry nodded. 

“Hopefully, Allen is back where he belongs,” Caitlin said hopefully.

The Playground, 2019  
Afternoon

“So this apocalypse will happen in less than a year?” Steve asked after Allen, Wanda and Strange had explained everything.

“Can’t we ever get a break, just once?” Clint groaned.

“No, because the universe hates us,” Natasha said dryly.

“I’ll be in touch,” Strange said, and they looked at him as he opened a portal. “If this apocalypse is coming, The Masters of the Mystic Arts must be prepared. Unless you have some information, do not contact me again.”

Strange then walked through the portal, which closed behind him.

“Well, as good as it is to have you back buddy, I wish you had better news,” Cisco said and Allen sighed.

“Yeah, so do I,” Allen said glumly.

“We can’t stop the apocalypse from coming. All we can do is be prepared for it and face it when it comes,” Steve said.

“So the usual,” Sam said dryly.

“Cap’s right. Until then, we just gotta treasure the time we have with the ones we love,” Allen said as he wrapped an arm around Wanda.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Steve said, looking over at Caitlin.

Barry and Iris’ loft, 2017  
Morning

The next morning, Iris woke up alone in bed. Worried, she made her way out into the living room to see Barry sitting on the couch, wearing an intense look that seemed like it belonged on Oliver Queen’s face rather than her husband’s.

“Hey, you okay?” Iris asked as she walked over and he shook his head.

“No,” Barry said with a sigh. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the last few weeks...about the things Allen said.”

“Barry, he was wrong,” Iris insisted but Barry shook his head.

“No, he was right, about all of it. I’ve forgotten who I am…I’ve lost myself in you Iris,” Barry said, looking up at her with an unreadable look on his face. “I need to figure out who I am outside of you.”

“What are you saying?” Iris asked as her heart began to race.

“I don’t want you coming around Star Labs for a while,” Barry said as he got to his feet.

“I’m leader Barry!” Iris sais shocked.

“Because I let you be,” Barry said as he looked her in the eyes, for once not flinching to her demands. “If it comes to it, we ask the others to vote, but I don’t think you want it to come to that.”

And Iris knew he was right. If Cisco, Ralph, Harry and Joe’s mutiny from last night was any indication, they didn’t have a high opinion of her ability to lead. Either way, it appeared she was no longer leader of Team Flash. 

“Barry…we’re The Flash,” Iris said, feeling him slipping away.

“No Iris, I’m the Flash. That is one thing that you don’t seem to get. I am out there, risking my life to save the city, not you. You will never understand what it is like, out there, fighting for your life, to be inches from death, knowing one mistake and it’s over. Not just for me, but for the people I’m trying to save to,” Barry said as he turned and walked towards the door. “This isn’t about you Iris. For the first time in months, maybe years…this isn’t about you. It’s about me.”

Barry then walked out, leaving Iris alone in an apartment that suddenly felt too big.

The Playground  
Afternoon

“She’s already gotten so big,” Caitlin said, smiling as she saw the photo of Freya on Wanda’s phone. “Has she started walking yet?”

“She tried to stand the other day, but she didn’t quiet manage it,” Wanda said with a smile. “She misses you you know. Last week, she called ‘Caiy’ when she saw your picture.”

“I miss her to, I miss all of you,” Caitlin said wistfully as she looked over at Cisco laughing with Sam and Allen talking quietly with Steve in the corner.

“But you’re happy,” Wanda said knowingly and Caitlin nodded.

“Yeah, I am. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss you guys,” Caitlin said sadly.

“We miss you to,” Wanda said and the two women hugged.

“So, you want my permission to ask Caitlin to marry you?” Allen asked, staring at Steve blankly.

“I would like your blessing but, yeah,” Steve said, trying not to fidget.

“Of course you can have my blessing Steve,” Allen said and the knot in Steve’s stomach loosened. “Just do one thing for me.”

“What’s that?” Steve asked curiously.

“Make her happy. Because if you don’t, you better make sure I don’t find out,” Allen said, only half joking.

“I’ll do my best,” Steve promised.

“I know. That’s why I’m not worried,” Allen said with a smile as he placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

Bar, 2017  
Night

“Man, it’s been a while since we’ve done this,” Cisco mentioned as he, Barry and Caitlin all sat at a table.

“Yeah, and I know that’s because of me,” Barry said and the other two looked over at him. “I’m sorry, I lost myself, forgot what was really important. I wasn’t there when you guys needed me and I’m so sorry for that.”

“Barry, it’s okay, we all lose our way once in a while,” Caitlin said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Whenever you need us, we’re here man,” Cisco said and Barry smiled weakly, silently thinking he did not deserve such friends.

“So, anyone want more beers?” Barry asked.

Cisco said yes but Caitlin declined. Barry got up and headed over to the bar. As he waited for his drinks, someone walked up next to him.

“Martini please,” they told the bartender and Barry wiped his head towards them at the sound of the voice.

“Patty?” he said surprised and she looked as surprised as he was as she turned to face him.

“Barry?...Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“Hi,” he said softly as he drank her in.

She was as beautiful as he remembered. Her blond hair was as long as it had been the last time he’d seen her and it fell down to her back in waves. Her blue eyes looked as shocked and unsettled as he felt. He’d never expected to see her again and yet, fate or whatever had brought her back into his life.

“I um, heard you and Iris got married,” Patty said, bringing Barry out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah we did,” Barry said, feeling the urge to confess the strain he was currently experiencing on his marriage but bit his tongue.

“Congratulations,” Patty said with the same fake smile he’d had when finding out about Iris and Eddie.

“Thanks,” Barry said awkwardly and it was silent between them for a moment. “So are you moving back?”

“No, I’m in town for a friend’s wedding,” Patty said and Barry was surprised by the disappointment he felt. “It was good seeing you Barry.”

“You to,” Barry said as their drinks arrived. “You should drop by Joe’s before you go; I know he’d love to see you.”

“Maybe I will,” Patty said before, to his surprise, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Take care Barry.”

Patty then picked up her drink and walked over to a table, sitting down with some other people. Barry stared after her for a moment, almost forgetting his and Cisco’s drinks on his way back to the table.

“Hey, you okay man?” Cisco asked as he and Caitlin noticed how rattled Barry seemed.

“No,” Barry said honestly, sitting down and staring at Patty from across the bar.

Star City, 2019  
Afternoon 

Oliver was doing some paperwork when someone opened the door to his office. Oliver looked up to see it was his assistant. 

“Sorry Mr. Mayor, but there’s a Mr. Allen here to see you, he was quite insistent about it,” his assistant said apologetically.

“Send him in,” Oliver said immediately, wondering what Barry could want.

His assistant nodded, closing the door behind him. Not long after, Allen entered the room.

“Barry, what is it? Tell me you don’t have another evil speedster after you,” Oliver pleaded as he got to his feet.

“No, nothing like that,” Allen said, briefly wondering if he should tell Oliver about what Novu told him but decided against it. “This is more personal.”

“What’s going on Barry?” Oliver asked, concerned by the look on his friend’s face.

“This is going to sound unbelievable, and I know that is saying something coming from me. I’ve spent the last few weeks in an alternate timeline where I never met Wanda and the others on Earth-66,” Allen said and Oliver look confused. “In this timeline, I never helped you against Chase…and Samantha died.”

The words hung between them for a moment, Oliver staring at Allen’s solemn face, digesting these words as his friend pulled out an envelope.

“This is a letter from the William of that timeline,” Allen said as he held it out to Oliver. “I promised him that it would make it to his mother.”

“I’ll make sure she gets it,” Oliver said lowly, taking the envelope and looking back up at Allen. “Thank you Barry.”

The Playground  
Night

Caitlin walked into her and Steve’s room and paused, staring at the room. The lights were off but the room was dimly lit by candles placed on the shells and dresser. It was a rather romantic setting, Caitlin mused as Steve came out of the walk in closet.

“Steve, what is this?” Caitlin asked confused.

“I wanted tonight to be special for you,” Steve said as he walked over, taking her hand. 

“Please tell me this isn’t about what The Monitor said,” Caitlin pleaded and Steve shook his head.

“It’s not, this is something I’ve been planning for weeks,” Steve said and Caitlin noticed that he seemed nervous. “This is something I’ve wanted for a long time.”

“Steve, what’s going on?” Caitlin asked, honestly worried.

Steve reached into his pocket and, to her shock, pulled out a diamond ring.

“Caitlin Snow, before you, I had never truly loved someone. Not the way the poets and the singers always described it. It was like I was going through life with a missing piece of me until I met you. You consume me Caitlin Snow and I never want to imagine my life without you in it,” Steve took her hand and got down on one knee. “I love seeing you smile and laugh and I want to spend the rest of our lives making you happy. Caitlin Snow, will you marry me?”

For a moment, it was silent and Steve began to worry. Then-

“Yes,” Caitlin chocked out, tears of joy falling down her cheeks. 

Steve smiles, placing the ring on her finger before standing up and pulling her into a kiss. The spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms.

Star City  
Same time

“Oliver,” Samantha said surprised to see him on the other side of the door. “William’s asleep.”

“I know. I’m actually here to see you,” Oliver said, surprising her. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure,” Samantha said, stepping aside so he could enter the apartment. “What’s going on Oliver?”

“This is going to sound…completely insane, but please bear with me,” Oliver said as he turned around to face. “You know about Laurel, about the multiverse.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said wearily, wondering where he was going with this. 

“Just like there are these parallel earths, there are these parallel timelines. Barry spent the last few weeks in one. In this other timeline…you died on Lian Yu two years ago,” Oliver paused, letting the words wash over them.

Samantha stared at him, trying to absorb what he was saying. In truth, at times she felt it was a miracle that she had survived that nightmare on the island. So to hear there was a world where she hadn’t…it wasn’t a surprise to her. And after finding out about the multiverse, hearing about alternate timelines wasn’t the shock it would have been two years ago. 

“Why are you telling me this Oliver?” Samantha asked quietly and watched as he pulled out an envelope.

“The William of that timeline wrote you a letter. He wanted you to have it,” Oliver said gently, holding it out to Samantha. 

Samantha stared at it silently or a moment before taking it, staring at it. It had ‘to mom’ written in William’s hand writing, which had always been neat, even from a young age. 

“I can stay and read it with you if you want,” Oliver offered but Samantha shook her head.

“That’s okay, I’d like to read it alone,” Samantha said and Oliver nodded in understanding.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Oliver said as he started walking towards the door.

“Oliver,” Samantha called out and he paused. “I got lucky on the island…but you get lucky too much. One day, you’ll find yourself in a situation you can’t get out of and my son will lose his father.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Oliver asked lowly.

“I want my son to be able to not worry that he won’t see his dad again every time he walks out the door,” Samantha snapped.

“And what about all the other Williams in this city? Should I just sit back and let them get hurt, let them become orphans when I can stop it?” Oliver asked pointedly and Samantha paused, not having a response. “I would love for William not to worry about me, but I wouldn’t be able to look myself or him in the eye if I walked away. I have to be true to who I am and I want him to know it’s okay to be true to who he is to.”

Oliver then walked out, closing the door behind him. Samantha stared after him, musing on his words before looking down at the letter in her hand. With a sigh, she sat down on her couch and opened it. Pulling out the letter, she started reading, putting a hand to her face as tears began to fill her eyes.

Queen family loft  
Later

Oliver opened the door to the loft and walked in. Following William and Samantha moving to Star City, he had moved out of his one bedroom apartment and back into the loft to make more space for William. Besides, his apartment was small for two to three people to live in.

As he walked in, he saw someone sitting on the couch. Due to his training, he could see who it was without turning on the lights. Even so, he flipped the switch and lights revealed Sara Lance sitting on the couch.

“Hey, when did you get back?” Oliver said as she got to her feet.

“Just now,” Sara said as she walked over and they shared their first kiss in over a month.

After she had returned to Star City following the Legends disbanding, Sara and Oliver had gotten back together after some prodding from Laurel, to everyone’s surprise. Even after the Legends had reformed, Sara had stayed in Star City, finally able to move on from her past and Laurel’s death. 

Then, a few months ago, Ray and Nate had arrived, asking for her help with a new problem. Although reluctant, Sara had agreed to help after some prodding from Oliver and Quentin. It had taken longer than either of them would have liked, and though they had briefly reunited when Strange and Clint had gathered the heroes of Earth-1, Earth-38 and Earth-66, they had still missed each other greatly. 

“You seem stressed,” Sara noted breathlessly as they pulled back, getting a good look at her boyfriend’s face. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Oliver promised drinking her in. “Tonight, I just want to focus on us.”

Sara didn’t need much persuading as he pulled her back into a kiss. Tomorrow, there would be time to catch up on al the things they had missed. For tonight, it was just about them, Sara thought as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her to their bedroom. 

Allen residence  
Same time

“She’s asleep,” Allen said as he walked into the living room, where Wanda is sitting on the couch. “I missed her. I missed both of you.”

“I missed you to. I know it was a lot longer for you, but there wasn’t a second that I wasn’t trying to find you,” Wanda promised as he sat down next to her.

“I know you did. And I spent nearly every second trying to get back to you,” Allen promised as he placed his hands on her face. “You and Freya are my lightning rod.”

Allen then pulls her in for a kiss and Wanda takes a moment to enjoy it but something is off. She doesn’t need powers to know that he’s distracted by something.

“Hey,” Wanda breathed as she pulled back, looking at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“I keep thinking about what The Monitor said,” Allen said with a sigh as he let her go. “I know that the apocalypse isn’t supposed to happen for months…but I can’t sake this feeling that it’s already started.”

Argus prison, 2017  
Night

Marlize Devoe sat in her cell in the Argus prison she had been shipped to, glaring hatefully at the two guards who stood on the outside of her cell. Oh, how she hated them. But even more so, how she hated Barry Allen. Not the one of this time, but the one who had come from the future, a different future. It was because of him and his friends that her husband was currently trapped in a pocket dimension, unable to get out. Oh how she hated him. If she ever got out of here, she would find a way to make him pay, she vowed darkly.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop, literally stop. The clock outside her cell stops and one of the guards’ froze halfway to their radio. Marlize looked up, confused when something happened. A black portal opened up a few feet from her cell and out of it stepped a man.

He appeared in his mid-fifties with grey hair and blue eyes. He was dressed entirely in black, a black button up shirt with matching dress pants and even shoes that looked like they cost hundreds of dollars. He walked with purpose, his entire body radiating power. His blue eyes were locked on her, reminding her of a tiger, waiting to pounce on its prey.

“Marlize Devoe,” he spoke, his voice taking on a silky quality that both sent shivers down her spine and drew her in. “I have waited a very long time to meet you.”

“Wh-what do you want?” Marlize asked, hating that her vice stuttered.

But she couldn’t help it. This man, this being, gave off such a feeling of power it overwhelmed her. 

“Your husband is trapped in a pocket dimension for all eternity, and you want revenge on the man responsible. Barry Allen,” he said and Marlize started. “Not the one of this time, but the one from a parallel timeline over a year into the future. I can help you take your revenge.”

“How can you do that?” Marlize asked eagerly, her mind racing.

“I am far more powerful than he is. And I can make you more powerful as well,” he said and Marlize is clearly tempted. “It will not be right away, revenge, it takes time. The best revenge is to destroy everything Barry Allen cares about. I can help you do that, but you must follow my lead.”

“If you will help me take my revenge on Barry Allen, I will do whatever you ask,” Marlize vowed and he smirked.

“Good,” he said before, to Marlize’s surprise, he waved his hand and the door to her cell was yanked open. “We must go; it’s time to begin our plans.”

“Wait. Before we go…who are you?” Marlize asked and he let out a sinister smirk.

“I have been known by many names over the centuries. But the one given to me long ago…was Apocalypse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I’m sure most of the people reading this would have liked for Barry to just outright be done with Iris, that’s not realistic or in character for him. Barry is just starting to come to the realization that Iris is bad for him; it wouldn’t make sense for him to just leave her at this point. But I feel I’ve met a pretty good middle ground with Barry starting to retake his life back and set something up for him with Patty, who is Barry’s best canon relationship and the person I would’ve most liked to see him with in canon. 
> 
> And now Steve and Caitlin are engaged. The next story in this universe will focus on their wedding which, in typical Arrowverse/MCU fashion, will go horribly wrong. But you’ll get to see that later.
> 
> The main villain of the final story in this universe is going to be, as I’m sure you can guess from the final scene, Apocalypse. I’m going to be taking a lot of creative liberties with him in order to make it fit into this universe but he’s going to be much more powerful than the Anti-Monitor. Who becomes significantly less impressive when you realize Mercury Labs can do what he does just by having Barry and Zoom run on Zoom’s machine from the season two finale. Not that he was all that impressive to begin with.


End file.
